New Science Center Sickens Student

To the Editors:

In my four years at Oberlin, I have never been sick as often as I have been this semester. I have noticed that my sore throats, headaches, coughs, and other flu-like symptoms (chills and body aches) appear soon after I have been in the new science center for any length of time. I cannot be positive that the building is the cause of my health problems, but several factors make me believe this is true. Many people have told me that they are having the same health problems in the building. This is the first semester that I have spent time in the science center. I have two classes and a lab in the building, and I have to spend many hours working in the Sperry Dell lab. My symptoms last up to two days after I have been in the building for a substantial amount of time. My close friends who do not spend time there have not felt the same symptoms this semester. I have not noticed my illness to be contagious to these friends.

Sick building syndrome is a common phenomenon in new buildings with poor indoor air quality. The building’s poor IAQ could be a result of adhesives, upholstery, carpeting, cleaning agents, or manufactured wood products that emit volatile organic compounds. Research shows that some VOCs can cause chronic and acute health effects at high concentrations, and some are known carcinogens. If the science center did not have high VOC-emitting products that it has, I would not have much of a reason to suspect that the building is causing my health problems.
While I do not expect that this problem will be fixed by the time I graduate, I do think that it would benefit our campus to realize the true cost of the new science center. While the upfront cost of the science center is less than what it would have been if the school had followed the example of the AJLC for Environmental Studies building, this building has unaccounted costs that the AJLC does not have because it has low VOC paints, carpeting and furniture fabric and an excellent ventilation system. (I worked in the AJLC 40 hours a week all summer and didn’t get sick once.)
I know that student life often leads to headaches and fatigue, but I find it hard to believe that the change in my health is not directly related to the change in my environment. And, I am not the only one. If you talk to people in the library or atrium, you will find many students who have had the same symptoms. One of my friends, who is especially chemically sensitive, has to have his science center classes videotaped because the building makes him sick.

I urge Oberlin to consider the community’s health the next time it builds or renovates a building. Healthcare and worker productivity costs should be considered as seriously as the upfront costs of building. While the AJLC reportedly cost more per square foot than the Science Center, its employees and students may very well be more healthy and productive.

–Anna Ruth
College senior