Poor Air Quality In AZ Hospitals -

U.S.A. Arizona

Published

Is it me or do most hospitals have poor indoor air quality -

Take Saint Joes for instance - Some do gooder nurse in management decided it would be in the hospitals best interest to place air fresheners all over the hospital in order to give "that nice fresh scent" that everyone oh so loves.

The problem with this is the FACT that these air fresheners contain derivatives of petrochemicals and thickeners masked as a "fragrance" and actually end up contributing to poor indoor air quality within the hospital. So rather than actually attemping to remove the source of a malodorous smell we just "cover it up" or "pollute the air more" by using a synthetic neurotoxic air freshener.

Conceptualize this - you have indoor air, which can be up to 200 times more polluted than outdoor air - couple this with an acute environment of a hospital based setting, we are talking about people with respiratory issues and critical illness that are defintely effected by the air quality which they inspire, without question. Now take the hospital - you go to the hospital and are admitted ussually for significant illness, and the hospital in its infinite wisdom to bring about a nice "Fresh" scent actually contributes to your illness by more or less "forcing" you to inspire synthetic chemicals derived from oil.

Can someone tell me how this makes any sense? Can someone explain to me why people are obsessed with air fresheners(synthetic chemicals) when there have been no scientific studies on how they affect the body systems? Can someone tell me why Glade Plug Ins will kill birds if proper ventilation is not provided. And we are breathing these things in 16 hours a day in the home/office setting and everyone is happily going about there business like its no big deal. Its sad really, and even more pathetic that a hospital actually contributes to poor indoor air quality by purposefully placing synthetic air fresheners in the HALLWAYS to pollute the air and make people more ill.

It all comes down to biochemistry - there is no debate in this - what I am saying cannot really be contested if you have any knowledge of biochemistry.

Can someone give me a rational explanation for why Saint Josephs Hospital seeks to pollute indoor air by placing air fresheners all around the hospital in the hallway? Is this good for patients in general, or patients with respiratory issues or patients that are critically ill?

Another issue is carpeting - What in gods name is carpet doing in a hospital??? A carpet is essentially a piece of plastic coated with flame retardant that is glued to the floor - how can this possibly be beneficial for indoor air quality, besides being bastions for dust, couple that with the signficiant amounts of chemicals used in the manufacturer and physical application of a carpet to the floor and you have instant indoor air pollution, just what i want, my relative with COPD to go into a hospital with a newly installed carpet - how pathetic - Banner hospitals should get a clue and get rid of all the carpet they have in their facilities and go with commercial tile. Having carpet in a hospital is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of in healthcare, you come to the hospital to get well, not to get sicker....

Does someone wish to tell me where I am going wrong?

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You seem to have put alot of thought into this subject! I can totally understand your point. It makes perfect sense. Even at home I have stoppped spraying aif fresheners around as I don't think it benefits my children or my husband and myself to breathe in these chemicals. Are candles any better I wonder....

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You seem to have put alot of thought into this subject! I can totally understand your point. It makes perfect sense. Even at home I have stoppped spraying aif fresheners around as I don't think it benefits my children or my husband and myself to breathe in these chemicals.

:yeahthat:

my unit started putting up those air fresheners that give you a blast every 20 min or so, within 4 weeks 9 staff members went of sick with breathing problems including myself:no:, the thing is flowers, cuddly toys etc are banned due to pollutant risk:confused:

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You seem to have put alot of thought into this subject! I can totally understand your point. It makes perfect sense. Even at home I have stoppped spraying aif fresheners around as I don't think it benefits my children or my husband and myself to breathe in these chemicals. Are candles any better I wonder....

Yeah what I am saying is irrefutable really. I would challenge anyone to do debate me on this issue and tell me where I am going wrong. With regard to Candles, yes they pollute indoor air. Specifically "scented" candles contain much of the same ingredients as common air fresheners, if you look at the contents and you see the word "fragrance" avoid it at all costs. The term "fragrance" essentially means "could be anything trade mark secret" which is synonomous with a synthetic chemicals. Remember, these things have NOT been tested with humans in any studies whatsoever and there is no telling what the long term effect of breathing in these gasses is on human physiology for extended periods of time, there just isn't if someone disagrees with what I am saying, challenge me.

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:yeahthat:

my unit started putting up those air fresheners that give you a blast every 20 min or so, within 4 weeks 9 staff members went of sick with breathing problems including myself:no:, the thing is flowers, cuddly toys etc are banned due to pollutant risk:confused:

That is unreal - Most hospitals have a "limited fragrance" policy, in other words, somewhere in the bilaws it says something about not wearing perfume for obvious reasons, I mean people in hospitals are sick for god sakes and people are going to walk in a room with scented body lotion and perfume on and more or less force the patient to inspire scented synthetic gas? makes no sense......Hospitals have these policies yet they put up AIR FRESHENERS which are more or less "Perfume" or "fragrance" dispensers which is diametrically oppossed to no fragrance policies, makes no sense whatesoever and whoever instituted that policy or made that decision is a fool and if that happened at my work environment I would be affected negatively no doubt and have to put in a comp claim and blame it on the hospital.

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I honestly don't think anyone will challenge you on this! I wonder if someone can raise enough of a "stink" with hospital administrators to get these air fresheners removed? Are you a nurse? Do you work in a hospital? Have you said your opinion to anyone regarding this?

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
and if that happened at my work environment I would be affected negatively no doubt and have to put in a comp claim and blame it on the hospital.

Believe me, you definitely don't want to put in a worker's comp claim FOR ANYTHING! You will be paid the miserly sum of $326 a week (may pay out for WC), you will be dictated what doctor you will go to, and you will end up maybe losing your house and car and whatever you have to sell to pay your bills with.

I am just returning to work after six months off due to a workplace injury and I swear, I will never fill out an incident report again. Oh......I left out, you can't use your own health insurance, short term disability, or long term disability either in a workmens comp injury.

OK, y'all have been warned.

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I completely agree with the synthetic air fresheners, however you can buy and use quality candles that won't pollute. Especially those made with essential oils. Soy candles are great, and have lead free wicks that don't have soot. I'm just sayin......

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I completely agree with the synthetic air fresheners, however you can buy and use quality candles that won't pollute. Especially those made with essential oils. Soy candles are great, and have lead free wicks that don't have soot. I'm just sayin......

I agree - if something is biodegradable it can be managed by the bodies enzyme systems and will not necessarily present a problem. With regard to "essential oils" Many products such as Glade Plug Ins proudly market "100% essential oils" - Keep in mind they wont tell you that in addition to the essential oil they all contain thickeners and additives and scents derived from petrochemicals. So as you inspire the 100% essential oils you will also be inspiring the synthetic compounds. Essential oils in high volumes are not neccessarily a good thing to breath in either; it is a fact that if you put a bird in a cage, and use a glade plug in, close the doors and the windows and leave the room for 24 hours, the bird will be dead or very ill by the time you get back. Even the corporate big wigs at Glade will tell you this is going to happen without adequate ventilation. So the question to ask yourself is "If I see an add on TV should I automatically run out and buy it and pollute my air?" Answer - no. These companies are in business to make money and will happily do so at the expense of your long term health.

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