Healthy Indoors Magazine
Issue link: https://hi.healthyindoors.com/i/1455789
30 | January/February 2022 By Jeffrey C. May, ©2022 are the canaries in the mine, no matter what definitions we use. If we don't pay attention to these sufferers, we too may begin to experience similar symptoms. Scanning electron micrograph of mold hyphae wrapped around carpet fiber. May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC If a client is suffering symptoms inside a building but feels better when away from the space, I proceed with my investigation on the assumption that there is an environmental problem within the building envelope. Then it's my job to find it. "Believe the client" is my mantra. Sensitivity to indoor environmental conditions is more common than many people think. The CDC reports that 8.4 percent of children and 7.7 percent of adults have asthma. And a 2016 survey of more than 1,000 American adults found that over 25 percent had chemical sensitivities and over 12 percent had multiple chemical sensitivities. (My House is Killing Me: A Complete Guide to a Healthier Indoor Environment, p. 12, Jeffrey C. and Connie L. May, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020.) Whether symptoms are caused by sick buildings or are BRIs, architects, HVAC technicians, general contractors, indoor air quality professionals, and yes, even physi- cians, should give credence to occupants' symptoms and question what environ- ment conditions might be the cause, including inadequate ventilation, off-gassing from construction materials, and moldy carpeting or HVAC systems. Those suffer- ing symptoms in an indoor environment speak about "brain fog" and fatigue when exposed to VOCs, and yet many physicians don't believe in MCS. Many of my clients with MCS have told me that their doctors recommended they see psychiatrists. Since MCS is not a widely recognized diagnosis, the symptoms could be labeled "sick building syndrome," and the respon- sibility for avoiding VOC exposures shifts from the building management/owner to the building occupant. An obvious exception, of course, would be exposure to an elevated concentration of carbon monoxide, but that would have a nega- tive effect on all the building's occupants, rather than just someone with MCS. As I wrote in the first chapter of My Office is Killing Me: A Sick Building Sur- vival Guide, "Because of the range and inconsistency of symptoms associated with both building-related illnesses and sick-building syndrome, doubts about the validity of building related health concerns often arise in the minds of non-suffer- ers and sufferers alike, as well as in the minds of physicians who treat them." Jeffrey C. May Founder and Principal Scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations LLC in Tyngsborough, MA (www.mayindoorair.com), Jeffrey C. May com- bines his education as an organic chemist and his over twenty-five years of experience investigating building problems to specialize in indoor air quality (IAQ). He is a former Adjunct Faculty Member in the Depart- ment of Work Environment at University of Massachusetts Lowell, and is author or co-author of four books on indoor air quality (published by The Johns Hopkins University Press), including My House is Killing Me: The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma. Jeff is a nationally recognized speaker at annual con ferences for the IAQ Association and the Maine IAQ Council, among others. He is a Council-Certified Microbial Consultant (ACAC) and a Certified IAQ Professional (AEE), and is licensed in the NH and FL as a mold inspector/assessor. Jeff holds a B.A. from Columbia College (chemistry) and an M.A. from Harvard University (organic chemistry). See http://www.mayindoorair.com for details about Jeff 's company's services, and www.myhouseiskillingme.com for more information about Jeff 's publications and work. You can contact Jeff at jeff@mayindoorair.com or call 978-649-1055. Check out our new book, published by Johns Hopkins University Press and available on line. May's Ways Continued from previous page