Page 25 - Climate Control News Magazine

Chemical sensitivity has increased more than 200 per cent over the past decade.
“The products that are problematic for people with MCS are also major sources of air pollutants. Reducing use and expo- sure to these products benefits not only your own and other people’s health, but also the environment.”
Steinemann recommends choosing prod- ucts without any fragrance and has called for the implementation of fragrance-free policies in workplaces, healthcare facilities, schools and other indoor environments. ✺
Indoor Air Quality
STUDY SUPPORTS A FRAGRANCE-FREE WORKPLACE
University of Melbourne Professor,
Anne Steinemann, has called for the introduction of fragrance-free policies in the Australian workplace.
While frangrance-free policies are common in the United States where
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity(MCS) is recognised in the Disability Act, similar policies do not exist here.
Steinemann said the policies should apply to workplaces and shared public environments, including hospitals and schools.
“These policies are a logical and prudent step, because of the effect fragrances have on people with chemical sensitivities,” she said.
“Many Australians have had time off work, or have had to avoid public places, because of illnesses such as migraines and breathing difficulties brought on by exposure to fragrances used in air-fresheners, cleaning supplies and other products.”
MCS is used to describe adverse health effects brought on by exposure to common chemical pollutants often at low levels.
Of those in the survey who said they have MCS due to the presence of fragranced products:
• 52.1% said they have lost workdays
or a job in the past year;
• 55.4% reported debilitating or partially
Greater collaboration in the office means working in shared environments which can exacerbate problems.
debilitating health effects; and
• 77.5% said they are prevented from full
access to indoor public spaces.
And among this group the most commonly reported health effects were migraines (46.5%) and asthma attacks (39.4%).
The study argues that reducing exposure to "common chemically formulated products" is critical for the health of an estimated three million Australians with MCS.
Local air conditioning contractor, Mia Sheffield, believes most employees would resist the introduction of a fragrance free workplace.
“It doesn't get treated the same as, say, noise pollution,” she said.
“Increased collaboration means most workplaces today are shared environments so its a bigger issue than it was previously.
“But for some reason chemical sensitivities aren't always taken seriously.”
The chemical pollution problem has been accompanied by a rise in office noise pollution which has reached epidemic levels, according to a study by Oxford Economics.
The 2018 study interviewed 500 senior executives and non-manager employees from a range of industries. Participants hailed from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, China, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
AUGUST 2018
25