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State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005
Conference
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Improving Workplace Access and Accommodations for Chemically & Electromagnetically Sensitive Employees
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- Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
- Barriers to Access for People with Chemical and Electromagnetic Sensitivities
- Eliminating or Minimizing Access Barriers through Building Design & Construction, Furnishings, and Operations & Maintenance Practices
- Barrier: Pesticides - Eliminate or Minimize their Use
- Barrier: Pesticides Operations & Maintenance (cont.)
- Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation
- Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation (cont.)
- Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation (cont.)
- Workplace Policies
- Cleaner Air Logo
- Cleaner Air Rooms & Paths of Travel
-
Cleaner Air Rooms & Paths of Travel (cont.)
- Assistive Technology
- Assistive Technology (cont.)
- Additional Accommodations
- Mary Lamielle, Executive Director
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
Design & Construction
Building Products & Materials
Operations & Maintenance
Designated Cleaner Air Rooms
How to accomplish recommendations:
Voluntary programs
Regulatory guidelines
Changes in codes and standards
Research on safer/alternative products and practices
Barriers to Access for People with Chemical and Electromagnetic Sensitivities
- Pesticides
- New Carpet
- Tobacco Smoke
- Inadequate ventilation
- Mold
- Building Materials
- Cleaning Products
- Fragrances &Fragranced Products
- Cell phones
- Portable Phones
- Computers
- Microwave Ovens
- Fluorescent lighting
- Cell phone and radio towers
- Transformers
- High Tension Wires
Eliminating or Minimizing Access Barriers through Building Design & Construction,
Furnishings, and Operations & Maintenance Practices
Barrier: Pesticides - Eliminate or Minimize their Use
Design and Construct for pest prevention:
Select building sites away from golf courses or farms, if possible.
Use inert, pest-resistant building materials.
Use non-chemical barriers to prevent termites.
Direct lighting away from building to keep insects away.
Use window screens and bird screens.
Barrier: Pesticides Operations & Maintenance (cont.)
Practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management):
Prevent pest problems by reducing or eliminating source of food, water,
and shelter.
Use non-chemical controls such as baits and sticky traps, sealing cracks
and crevices, vacuums, screens, fly swatters, etc.
If pesticides are necessary, spot treat using a least toxic product
with prenotification and posting.
Maintain healthy lawns and landscape.
Pull weeds and use mechanical cutters.
Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation
Design and construct for optimum air quality:
- Install operable windows.
- Ventilate to meet or exceed national standards.
- Use localized/direct exhaust in restrooms, kitchens and kitchenettes, copy and print rooms, and computer areas.
- Add no fragrances, disinfectants, or deodorizers to the ventilation system.
- Use a building air filtration system.
Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation (cont.)
- Products and Furnishings:
- Select low emission products: paints, adhesives, flooring, etc.
- Select inert or nonporous furnishings and flooring.
- Air new materials well in a separate building or an area away from
building occupants before installation.
- Use maximum ventilation and outside air to disperse pollutants from
new materials.
Barrier: Poor Air Quality & Inadequate Ventilation (cont.)
Operations & Maintenance:
An efficient ventilation system will eliminate a perceived need for fragrance
emission devices, air fresheners, or deodorizers.
To reduce odors, increase ventilation or open windows.
Use vacuum with HEPA filter.
Avoid the use of cleaners containing chlorine, ammonia, phenol, and alcohols.
Do not use fragranced, citrus, or pine-based cleaning products.
Workplace Policies
- No Smoking Policy
- Fragrance-Free Policy
- Notification Policy
- Vehicle Idling Policy
- Cell Phone Use Policy
Cleaner Air Logo
- Graphic: Logo depicts white fan blades on a blue background and the words
Cleaner Air.
Cleaner Air Rooms & Paths of Travel
- No smoking
- Fragrance-Free
- Pesticide-Free indoors and outdoors
- Least toxic/risk cleaning products
- No recent construction or remodeling including carpet installation
Cleaner Air Rooms & Paths of Travel (cont.)
- Cell phones turned off
- Ability to turn off or unplug computers and other electrical equipment
- Ability to turn off fluorescent lighting
- Ability to adjust temperature and air flow or availability of operable
windows
Assistive Technology
- Charcoal mask, respirator, or other personal protection equipment
or device
- Oxygen with ceramic or stainless steel mask with tygon or stainless
steel tubing
- Charcoal, HEPA (high efficiency particulate air), and/or electronic
air filter, or other air filtering device or equipment
- Reading Box
Assistive Technology (cont.)
- Localized exhaust for computers, printers, and other equipment
- Low emission computers, VDT terminals, and other equipment, or shielding
from electromagnetic fields
- Incandescent or natural lighting in lieu of fluorescent lighting
Additional Accommodations
- Speaker phone or intercom system to participate in meetings, communicate
with others, etc.
- Assistant or errand runner who can take care of tasks that the affected
employee cannot perform due to exposures
Mary Lamielle, Executive Director
National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.
1100 Rural Avenue
Voorhees, New Jersey 08043
(856)429-5358
ncehs@ncehs.org
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