Time to air out city hall, gasping councillors say

[Guest guest]

Someone should seriously check out the air-quality in Torontp's City Hall too -

it's not very good.

linda

Time to air out city hall, gasping councillors say

Carbon dioxide buildup in council chambers 'doesn’t help the brain cells'

By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter

Tue. Jan 22 - 5:33 AM

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1033224.html

It’s a suspicion that some Haligonians may have harboured for years: city hall

is putting its politicians to sleep.

Now perhaps we know why.

Recently, high carbon dioxide levels have been picked up in council chambers and

it’s having an effect on the people who spend hours there every week.

" It’s not good for your health, and it doesn’t help the brain cells, " Coun. Dawn

Sloane (Halifax Downtown) said Monday.

" Maybe that’s why we’re all crazy, " she joked.

Another councillor is not so sure that the problem doesn’t originate from

another source.

" The week before last I felt a little tired, but you don’t know if it’s the air

or just because you just put in 12 hours sitting there, " Coun. Brad s

(Middle and Upper Sackville-Lucasville) said Monday.

Mayor recently sent a memo out to all councillors, outlining that

recent carbon dioxide testing revealed high levels and that city hall is working

to address it.

In an interview Monday, the mayor said he’s noticed the poor air quality in

council chambers for years.

" It has an effect on my eyes and my breathing, " said the mayor, whose eyes are

usually rendered red by the end of a long council session.

The culprit, Ms. Sloane figures, is city hall’s habit of keeping the air

exchange system shut off for days at a time.

" In my house, I have a system that goes on every 15 minutes and it just blasts a

little bit of fresh air. And the reason why you keep it running, even when

there’s no one there, is that any pollen, any mould spores, dust, anything in

the air, doesn’t settle in the vents. "

" There are certain things that work better when they are continuous and that’s

one of them. "

Another problem is maintenance, she says.

" It (the system) should be cleaned out every six months, or every season, " she

says, noting she’s been putting a bug in staff’s ear about cleaning out the

vents since before Christmas.

Ms. Sloane, who has environmental sensitivities, says she’s acutely aware when

the air quality at city hall is not quite right.

" I’m like a canary in a coal mine, " she says.

" And this has been going on for years. "

Coun. Mosher (Purcells Cove-Armdale) suffers from asthma and allergies.

Coming to council, then, can be a trial.

" I get headaches a lot in the chambers, but that could be from the discussion,

I’m not sure, " she said, with a slight laugh.

However, her council-related afflictions have been long-term, she notes.

" When I first got elected, I noticed right away. But you just kind of get used

to it. You just have to be prepared. "

Now she’s got her pre-council meeting routine down to a science.

" I take an allergy pill before I go to council, and I have my asthma puffer with

me. I have Tylenol in my drawer and I bring emergency migraine medication. "

Dr. Dennis Bowie, a respirologist with Capital Health, said Monday that people

can experience serious symptoms if carbon dioxide levels get too high.

" It can lead to headaches, decreased level of consciousness, fast heart rate,

and those kinds of symptoms. "

He feels the cure for their problems could be well in hand, though.

" Given that they have windows at city hall, it’s a signal that the ventilation

is not adequate, " he said.

( apugsley@...)

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