Sick-Building Syndrome

Environmental Medicine.

When the carpenter, electrician, and plumber finally packed up their tools and left Joan in her new kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief. After two months of making do with the microwave oven on the dining-room table and the camp stove on the porch, she was ready to do some real cooking. But this was not to be. As soon as she set foot in the new kitchen, she began to sneeze. An allergy sufferer, Joan recognized the sneezing and watering eyes, but the headaches, dizziness, and sore throat were something new. She was reacting to formaldehyde, a chemical preservative used in many building materials such as adhesives, furnishings, and particleboard. After six weeks of open windows admitting the chilly autumn air, the chemical had "gassed off" and the family could use their new kitchen. Joan was lucky, but others were not. Formaldehyde may have the potential to "sensitize" persons. It might be one of a handful...

[The entire page is 1305 words long]

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