Feb.28.2010
11:30 pm
by scribblekat
Air quality at work
In many instances, pollutants in the workplace are similar to those at home, unless you work in an industrial environment, near a construction site or in any location that requires frequent exposure to hazardous chemicals. Concerned about what may be present? Ask to review your company’s Material Safety Data Sheets, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) required listing of chemicals and potential hazards for employees. Then, take the information to your physician.
Try to avoid outdoor pollutants, specifically motor-vehicle exhaust and smog, says Michelle Wilhelm, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health.
In a study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers collected blood samples from 265 mothers and the umbilical cords of their newborns. While blood levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (think motor-vehicle exhaust) were estimated to be about 10 times lower in fetuses than in mothers because of the protection offered by the placenta, the levels of DNA damage among mothers and newborns were comparable. This suggests that the fetus is more susceptible to DNA damage than the mother. In another study, researchers at the Columbia University Center for Children’s Environmental Health in New York studied 60 newborns whose mothers wore portable air monitors during their last trimester and found that babies’ DNA can be damaged by the polluted air their mothers breathe during pregnancy.
You may not have any choice about what’s in the air on the way to work, but you may be able to convince your employer to invest in an air purifier for the office. And if you work at home, you can open a window.
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