The COVID-19 pandemic focused the general public’s attention on the role that indoor air plays on human health the way no other event has done. Nonetheless, other indoor air quality (IAQ) issues were around long before the coronavirus, and they continue bedeviling facilities today.
A mystery plagues the Physiology building at Colorado State University, as faculty, students and staff who work there have dealt with temporary blindness, eye irritation, congestion, respiratory issues and more, according to The Coloradoan. The cause of the problems remains unknown more than three months after concerns were first reported.
Classes were moved out of the Physiology building just before the start of the fall semester, and public access was restricted last month, limiting entry only to those with key cards, according to a university spokesperson. The university has also shut down a laboratory in the Environmental Health building next door to the Physiology building after students and staff there experienced similar symptoms when boxes of equipment were moved there from the Physiology building.
Symptoms included eye irritation, congestion and sinus issues, according to a Sept. 27 email to faculty, students and staff. Others also reported vision issues, including temporary blindness in two individuals that lasted up to six hours, and difficulty breathing that was severe enough to send two people to a hospital emergency room for treatment.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
