Text 1: Tapescript of an Interview with a Construction Engineer

Interviewer: Thanks for joining us today, Mr Fan, to talk about a topic causing a lot of anxiety to a lot of people: sick building syndrome.

Mr Fan: It’s a pleasure to be here.

Interviewer: So, what causes sick building syndrome, Mr Fan?

Mr Fan: Well, usually, a number of factors combine together to make a building sick. Just like humans, younger buildings are less likely to be sick than older ones — by older ones I mean those more than thirty years old. 

Text 1: Tapescript of an Interview with a Construction Engineer

Interviewer: Thanks for joining us today, Mr Fan, to talk about a topic causing a lot of anxiety to a lot of people: sick building syndrome.

Mr Fan: It’s a pleasure to be here.

Interviewer: So, what causes sick building syndrome, Mr Fan?

Mr Fan: Well, usually, a number of factors combine together to make a building sick. Just like humans, younger buildings are less likely to be sick than older ones — by older ones I mean those more than thirty years old. 

Interviewer: But how does the debris get so high — I mean — screens tend to be on desktops, don’t they?

Mr Fan: Right, but the dust rises if disturbed — by cleaning, for example.

Interviewer: But I thought cleaning removes dirt and dust?

Mr Fan: Yes and no. You see, dry-cleaning — with vacuum cleaners — is actually rather inefficient. It disturbs dust without collecting it all. The uncollected dust rises and is attracted to and held by the VDUs, static electricity. Cleaning can also cause other problems ...

Interviewer: Such as ...?

Mr Fan: Well, the detergents and solvents commonly used in cleaning can cause problems for some people — as can the sprays we use to kill cockroaches and other insects. 

Interviewer: I see. You mentioned external atmospheric pollutants penetrating the building?

Mr Fan: That’s right.

Interviewer: Well, I suppose you mean pollution from factories and vehicles?

Mr Fan: Yes, mainly ... and of course the problem is made worse inside the building if the ventilation systems become dirty through lack of cleaning of the filters. Once inside a building, atmospheric pollutants can be trapped for a long time, especially if the buildings’ windows cannot be opened.

Interviewer: Right. And smoking inside the building further reduces the quality of the air.

Mr Fan: Yes. All the factors we’ve spoken about can cause a building to become sick and make the people inside it sick, too, and certainly smoking inside a building causes it to become sick.

Interviewer: Are there any other factors we need to mention?

Mr Fan: Well, many offices contain a great deal of stored paper — even though we are supposed to live in the age of the paperless office! The problem with paper is that it attracts water and becomes damp. In turn, the damp attracts mould and this then distributes its spores into the internal atmosphere of the office and some people are susceptible to mould spores.

Interviewer: Mr Fan, thank you for talking to us today. You’ve certainly given us a lot to think about.

Mr Fan: Thank you for inviting me on to the programme.

Key Words:

spore: a structure consisting of one cell that is produced by something such as a fungus and can develop into a new living thing of the same type

susceptible: easily influenced or affected (by something)

Text 2: Tapescript of an Interview with a Professor of Health Studies

Interviewer: Thank you for giving up your time to speak to us today, Professor Li.

Professor Li: It’s my pleasure.

Interviewer: Well, having already learnt something about the causes of sick building syndrome, we’re here to discuss the question of what might happen to employees who work in what might be called a sick building. Professor Li, can a sick building really make people sick?

Professor Li: Oh, yes. There’s no doubt about it. Levels of absenteeism and sick leave are much higher among staff who work in sick buildings than those who work in healthier office environments. 

Interviewer: So, sick leave is clearly one negative effect of working in a sick building, but are there any others?

Professor Li: Yes. People working in a sick building tend to work less efficiently — I mean they tend to take longer to complete tasks and in general tackle their work in a less energetic and enthusiastic way.

Interviewer: That must be bad for productivity ...

Professor Li: It is and it’s also bad for general staff morale. Employees in a sick building show a much higher rate of turnover than those working in healthier environments. Staff leaving a company always causes problems because the employer has to spend time and money recruiting and training new staff — who themselves may very well leave six months later!

Key Words:

morale: the amount of enthusiasm a person or group of people feel about their situation at a particular time

Interviewer: Right. But what kinds of illnesses do people working in a sick building suffer from?

Professor Li: The range of problems is very wide and includes both physical and mental problems. Physical problems include allergies — often caused by fumes emitted from the glues used in modern furniture construction and from cleaning fluids and insecticide sprays.

Interviewer: Allergic reactions? What are the symptoms?

Professor Li: There are many symptoms: some serious and some less serious. Some people have breathing problems when they experience an allergic reaction, others suffer from rashes, dry skin, fever, sore throat and coughing.

Interviewer: What about mould? What can that cause?

Professor Li: Well, some people are vulnerable to mould spores and these can cause breathing problems — as can the dust which gathers around computer and TV screens. Dust inhalation — whether from inside or outside the building — can cause sinusitis and bronchitis. Prolonged exposure to computer screens can cause dizziness and vomiting — from the electromagnetic radiation they emit.

Key words:

mould: a green, blue, or white bacteria which grows on food that is not kept fresh or on other things that are not kept clean or dry

vulnerable: weak or easy to hurt physically or mentally

inhalation: the process of breathing air, smoke, or other substances into the lungs

sinusitis: an infection in which the sinuses become swollen

dizziness: a condition in which you feel as if you or the things around you are spinning

emit: to send something out into the air, e.g. gas, light, heat, sound

Interviewer: These are the physical effects a sick building can have on employees. What about mental problems?

Professor Li: Well, the most common problem here is, of course, depression. Depression can be brought about by the effects of harsh lighting and attractive office decoration.

Interviewer: OK, but employees should be able to do something about that quite easily.

Professor Li: That’s true, but other problems are less easy to deal with; feelings of anxiety, for example, which may be the result of feeling trapped and claustrophobic in small, windowless offices — especially those with low ceilings.

Interviewer: Professor Li, once again, thank you very much for talking to us today about the effects on employees of sick buildings.

Professor Li: Thank you for inviting me on to the programme.

Key words:

claustrophobic: feeling afraid because you are in a small or crowded space 

Text 3: Tapescript of an Interview with a Medical Expert in Sick Building Syndrome

Interviewer: Dr Wang, thank you for talking to us today.

Dr Wang: Not at all. It’s my pleasure.

Interviewer: Our subject is sick building syndrome and so far we’ve heard from other experts about what causes a building to become sick and how a sick building can affect the people who work inside it. Can we now introduce a positive note into the discussion by considering possible ways of preventing employees from getting sick?

Dr Wang: OK. Well, there are steps employers can take to make a building healthier and there are also steps employees can take to protect themselves. 

Interviewer: But what can anyone do to protect themselves against radon gas emissions?

Dr Wang: Experts can carry out tests to determine if radon is present in a building and if it is, special work can be done to screen employees from radiation from the gas.

Interviewer: But there is also the problem of radiation from computer and TV screens.

Dr Wang: Right, and here the solution is quite simple. Employees must be encouraged to switch off computers when not using them and, of course, a screen protector should be fitted to every terminal.

Interviewer: Is there anything employers and employees can do to reduce indoor pollution?

Dr Wang: There are a number of things, the most important of which is that employers must arrange for their ventilation systems to be cleaned at least twice a year — especially if the building is situated in a polluted area such as near to factories or main roads. It may also help if employees were provided with air purifiers for their offices. And, of course, employees must not smoke inside the building — not even in the toilets — otherwise the tobacco smoke is taken into the ventilation system and is distributed around the whole building. 

Interviewer: We heard from a previous speaker on this programme that allergic reactions may be caused among employees by dust, mould and even fumes from glues, cleaning fluids and insecticide sprays. How can these substances be controlled?

Dr Wang: Actually, they’re quite simple to control. To damp down dust and debris and to pick up dirt employers should arrange for cleaners to use hot water for cleaning and not cold water or vacuum cleaners.

Interviewer: But how can you clean a carpet daily with hot water?

Dr Wang: You can’t! But carpets hold so much dirt and debris that they should not be used in office buildings.

Interviewer: You’re advising employers to throw their carpets out?

Dr Wang: Yes, I am. The bare floors can then be cleaned efficiently with hot water. 

Interviewer: We’ve spoken about the physical effects of sick buildings on employees’ health; now what about negative psychological effects? How can we prevent these?

Dr Wang: Yes, this is an important consideration. Employees are increasingly taking sick leave for psychological reasons; they may feel anxious or depressed but don’t know why. Sometimes these feelings are

by working in cramped conditions with unattractive decoration. You know it’s amazing what a difference bring in a few plants and personal possessions such as ornaments can make to the way people feel! It’s also good to hang a few favourite pictures on the office wall. These improvements can be carried out quite inexpensively by the employees themselves.

Interviewer: Right. Bosses don’t have to pay for everything.

Dr Wang: Employees can also help themselves stay healthy by walking around more and, in particular, by making sure they spend no longer than an hour in front of a computer screen at any one time.

Interviewer: Thank you very much, Dr Wang, for talking to us today about ways to prevent sick buildings making employees sick.

Professor Li: It was my pleasure.