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Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality can cause a wide variety of complaints ranging from headaches, eye and respiratory irritation, coughing, and sneezing to severe allergic reactions from exposure to mold or mold spores.

Mold

Due to the high humidity and rainfall prevalent in Florida, indoor air complaints associated with mold growth are common. Following are links to some excellent EPA publications concerning evaluation of potential mold problems and steps you can take to solve these problems.

http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib101003.html

http://www.epa.gov/mold/

EPA Mold Guide 278.27 kB

Indoor Air

Some other potential causes of indoor air complaints are lack of adequate fresh air being brought into the building, infiltration of odors from neighboring businesses, and release of toxic gases from building materials, cleaning agents, or pesticide applications. Following are some links to general information concerning indoor air quality that can help you diagnose and eliminate indoor air problems.

http://osha.gov/SLTC/indoorairquality/index.html#topics

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/index.html

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/iaq.html

http://www.cal-iaq.org/

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/indoorenv/

Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Asbestos exposure is by far the leading cause of malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum).

OSHA Guidance

NIOSH Stats