Poor IAQ can affect your health and well-being.

Many commercial and industrial buildings are made with asbestos-containing materials.

In most cases, this is not a big problem, unless the material is being disturbed – let’s say during a construction or renovation project – and inhaled in the process.

In a recent case of bad exposure, 20 postal workers in New Hampshire had to be rushed to the hospital after renovation workers used a solvent to remove asbestos tiles in the building.

They complained of nausea, dizziness and chest pain, a Union Leader article reported.

When fire crews went inside the building with gas meters, they discovered an “elevated volatile organic compound” which caused carbon monoxide levels to increase.

They determined that the chemical used to remove the asbestos tiles was absorbed into the plywood on the floor and released into the building’s indoor air.

The post office remains closed and will not be allowed to open until the plywood is removed, the article said.

Asbestos health effects

Asbestos is most harmful when the tiny fibers are inhaled. The fibers are too small to be seen with the naked eye and can be inhaled deep into the lungs, where they remain.

The fibers damage lung tissue, causing scar tissue to form; the result is a disease called asbestosis.

People can be exposed to asbestos when they are n an area containing airborne asbestos fibers.

Fibers can become airborne when the material containing the asbestos is drilled, cut, abraded, sanded, chipped, or sawed during a renovation.

The danger of indoor air pollutants

In many commercial and industrial buildings, the indoor air quality is not what it should be.

These “sick” buildings can expose workers and employees to airborne chemicals, VOCs, particles, dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses, mold spores, mold mycotoxins, fumes and vapors.

The ventilation systems are often not enough to supply an adequate amount of fresh air to the occupants,  and repeated low-level exposure can affect the health and well-being of workers, their productivity as well as morale.

Electrocorp has designed industrial air cleaners for facility management, offices, mold and asbestos abatement and many other industrial and commercial applications.

The air cleaners contain a complete, multistage filtration system with activated carbon and HEPA to remove a wide range of indoor air pollutants.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and product recommendations.

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