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john_proctor
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« on: September 29, 2008, 09:10:43 AM » |
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Well, at least, when I'm in the office, sometimes I just get completely congested, watery eyes, whatever.
Clearly an allergy response.
It's not the HVAC or ducts. I've experimented with: a. closing them all; b. noting if they're on or not. Seems to be no real correlation. It's not a colleague with some scent or allergin (to me at least) on her/his clothes, hair, skin, whatever. Again, no real correspondence to whether or not someone's been in my office.
It's clearly my office and environmental. I can leave it when I'm at extremes and go for a walk or to the library and, within 15 to 20 minutes or so, I clear up.
It's been happening for three or four weeks, at least once or twice a week.
I thought it might be dust collecting on my books from the Summer hiatus. Had them all dusted. Have NOT yet come in and done it myself, taking all books off the shelf and using a mini-vac.
Thoughts/ideas?
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"Look upon me! I'll show you the 'life of the mind.'"
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ms_turtle
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« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2008, 10:56:53 AM » |
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My first thought, has the custodial staff changed cleaning products? I wouldn't rule the HVAC system out entirely. Allergens may still be there.
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'I get paid to think, and today I prefer to do my thinking lying down.' -- Inspector Morse
"Oh, PLANS, PLANS, PLANS -- how we make plans into the future, as if the future will most certainly be there!" -- John Irving
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anthroid
Proud yod dropper
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 15,781
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2008, 11:07:46 AM » |
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Has your carpet/floor been vacuumed or mopped lately? Maybe it needs a good cleaning.
And even if the AC isn't on the filter could be rotten--I tend to have a milder form of this when at my SO's house, and I'm pretty convinced that it's because he hasn't changed his HVAC filter lately. He changed it Saturday afternoon and voila!
I do like the notion that the custodial staff has changed products. Ours was issued with any manner of green things, and some of them are sneeze-inducing (one smells just like vinegar also).
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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john_proctor
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« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2008, 12:04:25 PM » |
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Well, I'm still inclined to think its not HVAC primarily. I've experiemented with opening and closing air vents and noted when attacks come (sometimes when its on/been on; sometimes when it hasn't).
Opening the window doesn't help.
As per the floor: no carpet (tile). May be an off-gassing from some floor-cleaning product, true. But I'd suspect that such would mean the attacks would be most common in morning. Sometimes they are, but, as often, they're PM.
My current thoughts are that time in the office may be a factor. Perhaps it's something that I can tolerate for a short period of time, but after a while...
I've closed the vents (they keep the building so damned cold, anyway) and have the windows open. So far, I'm feeling fine today (and did last Friday).
Not a long term solution, but it's helping for now.
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"Look upon me! I'll show you the 'life of the mind.'"
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mountain_ivy
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« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2008, 04:20:52 PM » |
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If you are in both classrooms and your office, you might consider either chalk or whiteboard markers.
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I run with scissors.
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titian
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« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2008, 04:55:15 PM » |
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Do you notice any black/white/gray spots that would indicate mold? On the floor, around the window, or in books? Does it feel or appear humid in the office, e.g. bubbly, warped paper?
My new office has a humidity problem, to the point where the carpet felt damp. I brought in a dehumidifier, and a can of Lysol to attack what was growing around the window and on the ceiling vent. Doing this has really helped my itchy eyes and wheezy lungs. The dehumidifer tank holds a couple gallons, and I need to empty it every other day. It's nuts.
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Fine, fine, but I think that absent-minded crap is bullsh!t and you're really thinking about vampires or that scifi stuff. |
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cc_alan
is a wossname
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,887
Caution! Nekkid zamboni driver ahead.
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« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2008, 08:53:31 PM » |
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Did they recently spray for bugs?
Have you been in this office for a complete cycle of seasons?
Alan
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Excuse me... which aisle would I find the unicorns and rainbows? No, Alan is a man among men, striding the Earth like a Colossus with a really big bladder, wearing a tool belt.
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scheherazade
1/3 of the Triumvirate of Evil and the Most Delicious
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,109
Running feminist prostitution rings since 1998
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« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2008, 10:23:03 PM » |
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Obviously, someone is trying to poison you. Eye everyone you meet with suspicion and covertly dab at their sleeves with Q-tips.
OK, that's not helpful. But it would be fun.
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You historians disturb me sometimes. |
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octoprof
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 30,821
Life is short. Love your loved ones while you can.
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« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2008, 10:26:34 PM » |
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Just guessing based on things that have made me sick.
mold
cleaning stuff
near neighbor's aftercshave from hell
something growing nearby that is pollinating or some such
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It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Professor Dumbledore
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collegekidsmom
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« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2008, 10:27:36 PM » |
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I vote mold.
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msparticularity
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« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2008, 10:43:00 PM » |
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I had this happen in relation to a change in cleaning products. I also agree it sounds like it could be a response to mold, but it seems a bit less likely, based upon my own experiences. The thing is, I think the mold responses tend to be more along the lines of more chronic stuff - upper respiratory infections and coughs - whereas the allergies to products produce sneezing, sudden congestion, and especially watery eyes.
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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