Top 5 Employees Who May be Affected by Your Moldy Building

Many office buildings today are suffering from sick building syndrome due to overgrown mold. But even if you can see or smell mold in the building, as an employer you may be reluctant (especially in today’s market) to dip into the company budget to pay for remediation. After all, if no one is sick then what’s the problem?

But holding on to the old adage – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – may not be a safe plan considering the impermanence of personnel. It’s important to realize mold affects different people differently; and while your current staff may coincidentally all be young, fit, and healthy, it’s only a matter of time before a change in your staff leads to an unhealthy workforce.

Here are the top five employees who may be affected by a moldy office building. Do any of these people work in your building? Or, will they ever?

5. Cancer patients have suppressed immune systems due to chemotherapy treatment which makes them more susceptible to pathogens and allergens. Often doctors are dumbstruck as to why their patients are returning with severe allergic infections after being sent home from the hospital. If recovering cancer patients are working in your office, check the building indoor air quality for mold and other contaminants.

4. Transplant recipients and others who are taking immunosuppressant drugs. In order to weaken the body’s response to the new tissue, an organ recipient will have to take immunosuppressant drugs which prevent the body from fighting back. As a side effect, the body will not be able to fight against other infections either, such as mycotoxins and bacteria.

3. Asthmatic and allergic employees may have had the misfortune of being born with overactive bodies to certain kinds of allergens, including pollens and mold spores. Or they may have acquired asthma at an earlier point in their life. The body reacts to these substances with sneezing, runny noses, and itchy eyes. In the case of asthmatics, their airways become inflamed and constricted by mucus. Poor indoor air quality can cause or exacerbate these conditions.

2. Pregnant women are a common occurrence in most offices from time to time. While their immune system may ordinarily be strong, pregnancy weakens it – making them vulnerable to airborne infections.

1. Elderly employees are an inevitability as long as your current staff continues to work. As your employees age, the poor indoor air quality that once did not affect them may now be a serious health risk as their immune system weakens.

As an employer, you should know that even if mold is not making your employees visibly sick and no one is complaining, it could be affecting their job performance in subtle ways. For all these reasons and more, it’s worth the investment to have your building inspected for mold and, if necessary, hire a mold remediation expert.

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