Abstract
This case study illustrates the crisis atmosphere that can develop if occupants of a building get the feeling that their complaints are being ignored. Following several years of complaints about stale air and poor temperature control, allegations were made publicly that faculty and students were being poisoned by high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2) in a five-year-old school. As a result, a multidisciplinary study was initiated to assess: 1) available records of health and academic achievement of students; 2) actual levels of CO and other contaminants in the air; and 3) measurable ventilation characteristics of classrooms. No excess absenteeism, illnesses, or lack of academic achievement were found, nor were any significant levels of CO, HCHO, or CO 2 found. However, there was an insufficient fresh air supply to some classrooms, and a large percentage of students exhibited classic symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome, i.e., headache, eye burning, and fatigue. Correcting the ventilation problems resulted in a reduction of symptoms to a level approximately equal to that of students in other schools in the county.
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