From:
Dawn Errede <errededc**At_Symbol_Here**YAHOO.COM>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] odor question
Date:
Sep 19, 2012 07:32 UTC
Reply-To:
DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
In-Reply-To:
Ah - the moldy oranges. In my previous life as a Chemical Hygiene Officer, I had lab workers and their professor assuring me the ventilation system was pumping ether into their lab. Sure enough, upon entering the lab I could smell what they were talking about, but further investigation lead to the real source - a bag of moldy oranges forgotten in a cupboard in an adjacent office!
Dawn Errede
From: Timothy Hauser <Timothy.Hauser**At_Symbol_Here**PROMEGA.COM>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:35 PM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] odor question
I've had chemical odor complaints localized in office areas at several locations. The occupant would insist that it was caused by some chemical contamination
or air flow issue from lab areas- Upon investigation it was caused by uncapped marker pens and once even by a moldy orange!
Tim
Timothy M. Hauser, CHMM
Manager, Environmental, Health & Safety
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU]
On Behalf Of Garrow, Walter
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:23 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] odor question
This may sound strange, but some of the men's urinal deodorant blocks have similar chemicals.
From: Dan Herrick [mailto:herrickdan**At_Symbol_Here**HOTMAIL.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 10:07 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] odor question
Greetings all,
We are investigating an Indoor Air Quality issue in an infrequently used faculty office which is full of books, papers, a computer server, etc. The odor is mothballs, and we cannot locate the source. (Believe me, we've been trying!) We've done a lot of work
already, investigating, ruling things out, etc. My question to this list is:
Has anyone had an odor issue where a mothball odor was caused by something other than mothballs?
I am aware that the chemical which causes the distinctive odor in mothballs is either naphthalene (older products) or 1,4-Dichlorobenzene (newer products). This faculty member is not doing any chemistry but rather investigates materials and their mechanical
properties.
All thoughts are appreciated.
Thank you,
Dan
--------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel C. Herrick
EHS Coordinator, MIT
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Laboratory for Manufacturing & Productivity (LMP)
Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE)
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
phone 617-253-2338
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 3-056
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
