Toxins teeming in the workplace

By Paula Burke

Published: April 7, 2008

Suffering from fatigue, headaches, nausea, dry cough or eye, nose or throat irritation?

Your workplace may be to blame.

Experts say the majority of offices are toxic and can make workers sick.

"The main problem is air quality,” said Edward Group, a homeopathic doctor, chiropractor and author of the new book "Health Begins in the Colon.” Offices, he said, are sealed too tightly and lack open windows to circulate fresh air.

Meanwhile, buildings are situated near freeways, where cars emit carbon emissions. And air-conditioning filters often are outside buildings.

"Employees are losing precious hours of productivity and mind power,” Group said. In toxic environments, they get half as much done, he said.

Most office kitchens are chemical dumps from the coffee machine to the microwave, Group said. Standard coffee, he said, contains more than 200 different chemicals, and radiation produced by microwaves can produce carcinogens.

There are 10 times more toxins indoors compared with outdoors, said Brenda Watson, Florida-based nutritionist and author of the recently released "The Detox Strategy.”

Workplace culprits include carpeting, furniture, finishes and co-workers' clothing, which can give off hazardous chemicals. People on average have 96 chemicals not naturally found in the body floating around in their urine and blood, she said.

To reduce exposure to toxins, Watson recommends workers use air and water purifiers and regularly wipe down telephones, desks and surfaces with a disinfectant. Only 25 percent of U.S. computer users clean their keyboards, mouses or mouse pads weekly, according to a study by Microban International in New York.

The company offers computer accessories with built-in technology that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew, said Billy Henry, president of the Americas division. Protected Microban accessories range from $5 for a mouse pad to $60 for a keyboard.

Employers and employees, concerned with environmentally healthy or green environments, can employ numerous other protections, Watson said. For example, they can replace fluorescent lights, to reduce mercury; bring in live plants, which help suck up toxins; and form employee awareness committees.

Employers should take suggestions and concerns seriously or face potential lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Protections encompass disabilities of all types, including respiratory sensitivities.

"Complaints from employees might seem trivial, but ignoring them can be serious,” said Adam Childers, a partner with the Crowe & Dunlevy law firm in Oklahoma City. A judge in Detroit recently awarded millions to a radio host who was sickened by a co-worker's perfume. And Childers not long ago had a case involving an employee who worked a drive-through window and had an oversensitivity to carbon monoxide fumes.

Under the law, employers are obligated to reasonably accommodate employees' disabilities, Childers said. "Judges and juries,” he said, "tend to frown on employers who don't take the simple step of showing attention.”

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