 Shock! The typical PC component manufacturing process uses and releases toxins, carcinogens, paint and oil-based substances into the environment and the residue of these toxins can remain in the computer while it sits there beside you. In extreme cases, this can result in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS) which makes working with technology near impossible. Thankfully, chances are you do not suffer from MCS. Yet as technology extends into our lives further each year, you might want to consider taking steps to protect you and your team against these and other office related hazards. Here are some simple steps you can take to make your workplace less toxic and more healthy.
Clean, Green Computers
The Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), found at ‘http://www.epeat.net’, aims to help purchasers rank computer desktops, laptops and monitors based on their environmental attributes. Equipment is graded with a list of 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria, which allows technology to be awarded with Bronze, Silver, or Gold EPEAT level recognition.
Back in July 2008, only 14 laptops made the grade. Today 616 laptops meet the EPEAT standards, as Bronze, Silver or Gold. The reason for the rapid acceptance of EPEAT criteria by IT suppliers has been its link to lucrative US government contracts. Today, the EPEAT rating system is mandated for all government departments, and is now being adopted by other governments and organizations outside the US.
“Back in July 2008 only 14 laptops made the grade. Today 616 laptops meet the EPEAT standards…”
EPEAT was developed over a three year period by an extensive, consensus-based US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded process that included more than 100 representatives from environmental groups, government offices, large volume computer purchasers, IT industry experts, electronics recyclers, and manufacturers in the US.
The US EPA, using very conservative assumptions, estimates that over the next five years, purchases of EPEAT registered computers will result in reductions of:
More than 5,895,000 kilograms of hazardous waste More than 1,360,000 of non-hazardous waste More than 600,000 MWh of energy - enough to power 6 million homes in the US
And that waste reduction is just in the US! The EPEAT criteria will obviously make a huge impact on hazardous and non-hazardous wastes in China were they be made mandatory here. But why wait? E-mail through the EPEAT link to your purchasing department today and start breathing easier.
Bringing nature inside
Over 20 years ago Kamal Meattle, a long-time environmental activist in India, became allergic to the New Delhi air – air that was slowly killing him. His research to save his own life, also produced findings that can protect us all.
Meattle believes that bringing nature inside can not only keep your staff healthy, but also increase productivity. In 1990, Meattle opened the Paharpur Business Centre and Software Technology Incubator Park in New Delhi to provide ‘instant offices’ to technology companies. However, his park differed from competition in that it maintained an indoor forest. Using three common houseplants, Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), and Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum), Mattle showed that he was able to increase the health of his workers while increasing overall production. Over a 15 year period, Meattle maintained 1,200 plants in a 4,645 sq/m (50,000 sq/ft) office, with 300 occupants. He found that his staff’s blood oxygen levels increased by 1%, and the Indian government has since published findings that Meattle’s building is the healthiest in New Delhi. Furthermore, by bringing nature inside his office he reduced the incidence of eye irritation by 52%, compared with other offices in New Delhi. Respiratory problems were also reduced by 34%, headaches by 24%, and lung infections by 12%. Most crucially Meattle believes that by maintaining a healthier staff, his office increased productivity by a whopping 20%. With 60% of the world’s population living in cities, Meattles’ results, if expanded globally, would make for a much healthier, enjoyable workplace for all. Visit Meattle’s presentation at TED by clicking on ‘http://bit.ly/meattle’ and grab your gardening sheers.
“…Meattle believes that by maintaining a healthier staff, his office increased productivity by a whopping 20%.”
Mother-in-law’s Tongue: Removes CO2 at night (6 to 8 waist high plants per person)
Areca Palm: Removes CO2 during the day (4 shoulder high plants per person)
Money Plant: Removes thamaldihide and other volatile chemicals (4 to 6 plants per person)
Get up! Get-on-up!
Heart disease remains America’s leading cause of death, killing one American every 34 seconds, more than 2,500 people per day, or more than 927,000 per year. Heart disease is also the leading cause of death in England, Canada and Wales. But these shocking statistics are not limited to the burger consuming, drive-thru cultures of the world. The China Daily now reports that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has become one of the top killers of middle-aged people in China, as it is fueled by high blood pressure and smoking, which have developed apace alongside the country’s economy. The research into the major causes of death in adults found that over the past 45 years, China has undergone a huge health transition. Every year, CVD kills 2.6 million people in China, or 300 people on average every hour. Already the number one killer disease in the West, CVD has now become a major epidemic in China as well, with the number of people affected increasing by 25 percent annually. The former leading cause of death, infectious disease, has been replaced by the same chronic killers that plague the West, says the China Daily. So what has this got to do with working in an office? The Think Tanks have been sitting around tables trying to find the solution to cure CVD, but that’s exactly what they shouldn’t be doing – sitting around. Researchers in Australia have found that ‘sitting down’ also increases your risk of diabetes and heart attack, it is not enough merely to avoid smoking and junk food. This research shows that half-an-hour in the gym, before or after work, will not counter the damage caused by spending the rest of the day sitting. The good news, however, is that walking around the office while on the phone might be enough to keep you fit.
“What this shows is that there are benefits in just getting up regularly and interrupting your sedentary time,” principal researcher Genevieve Healy of the University of Queensland said.
Her latest study builds on work that has shifted the focus of health promotion from purposeful exercise (such as jogging or cycling) to lower intensity activity throughout the day. The Australian research has been backed up by US studies, which show that standing up during the day is enough to double the metabolic rate and the amount of calories burnt while in the office.
“…‘sitting down’ also increases your risk of diabetes and heart attack, it is not enough merely to avoid smoking and junk food.”
Professor Marc Hamilton from the University of Missouri told Britain’s Daily Mail, “If you stand up, you are much more likely to end up pacing or pottering around and that seems to make a crucial difference.”
Shanghai based architect, Stephen Protz concurs, “There’s no reason we have to work sitting down. A lot of creativity can occur when you are standing and able to move around. It’s also good exercise for your back and keeps the blood flowing through your body, particularly to your brain.”
Protz recommends furnishing offices with adjustable tables that can be adjusted to standing height. “Almost any quality furniture company stocks adjustable furniture,” Protz adds.
Maintaining ‘green’ computers, indoor plants and ensuring more standing time in your office might not address all of your health concerns. But if you make these suggestions at the next interdepartment meeting, management will take notice. It will give the HR department a louder voice, and once that is linked to the bottom-line.
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