A Slice of range V o l u m e
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Battle modern-day pollution
YOU MAY THINK THAT YOUR CLEAN, AIRCONDITIONED OFFICE IS POLLUTION-FREE. THINK AGAIN. IT MAY BE FREE OF SOLID WASTES, WATER POLLUTION, AND AIR POLLUTION. BUT IN THE 21TH CENTURY, POLLUTION COMES IN OTHER FORMS, WHICH ARE JUST AS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.
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ollution can be found anywhere, and during the 1990s, a lot of attention has been focused on the
presence of pollution in the workplace. During those times, focus was on jobs where workers had exceptional exposures to solid wastes, chemicals, toxic
fumes, and the like. These jobs include mining, construction, factories/manufacturing, petrochemicals, textiles, and research jobs.
A Slice of Orange is a newsletter designed to help clarify basic health information and offer juicy tips on uplifting your health.
Editorial team Alvin Delfin Christine Llenes-Delfin Ivan Olegario, MD
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If you have too much noise and light for your own comfort, you have pollution
But you work in an air-conditioned workplace with clean work stations. You don’t get exposed to pollution, you think. OR DON’T YOU? In the modern workplace, pollution comes in other forms. These include: • Noise pollution • Light pollution Yes, noise and light can cause pollution. After all, pollution is defined as “the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort”. So if you have too much noise and light for your own comfort, you have pollution.
NOISE POLLUTION Office noise is a common complaint. Coworkers who talk and drum their fingers on the desk, irritating dot-matrix printers, or just the sound of a squeaking chair, contribute to noise pollution. These can cause the following ill effects: • Poorer productivity, as well as impaired reading ability and long term memory • Higher stress levels
• Health disease, high blood pressure, and stroke • Poor sleep and immunity The problem is that many times we cannot do much to reduce the level of noise in the workplace. The most you can do is to talk to your supervisors about people or things that make too much noise, in the hope that he or she can do something about it. DOES THIS MEAN THEN THAT WE ARE BOUND TO SUFFER HELPLESSLY? No! If there is little you can do to reduce noise levels in the office, minimize its effects instead. Here’s what you do: • Save music you like into your iPod or mp3 player. Play your music during breaks to neutralize the stressful effects of office noise. • Another option is to make your own “sound spa” in your digital music player. Save relaxing sounds, such as sounds of flowing water or chimes, and play these during breaks while relaxing or meditating. These sounds are available for download online. • Eliminate the other stressful effects of noise pollution through deep breathing, meditation, stretching,
or yoga. Yoga is a great stress reliever because it combines breathing, meditation, and exercise. Do this during breaks or when you get home.
LIGHT POLLUTION T here are many kinds of light pollution. Not all kinds are present in all kinds of offices. • Light trespass is when light enters a space it should not. An example is when light enters a photographer’s developing darkroom. • Over-illumination is when light is used in amounts greater than what is necessary. An example is when people use several lamps when just a few (or even mere daylight) are sufficient.
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Increased anxiety Increased blood pressure More road accidents Impaired sleep And even decrease in sexual function!
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You can also protect your eyes directly. You can get glasses with polarized lenses. These lenses eliminate a lot of glare. This may be your best shot if you cannot control the light source.
SO HOW DO YOU ESCAPE FROM EXCESSIVE LIGHT POLLUTION? • Light only what needs lighting. This sounds simple, but is typically over- looked. Ask yourself, “Do I need to turn on this light?” • A follow-up question is, “Can I turn off this light?” This will let you keep lights on only when necessary. • If you can change the intensity of your table lamps, lower them to the lowest level where you can still work. • Install shades or deflectors on light sources when possible. Warning: do not make your own make-shift shades. Hot electrical bulbs can ignite flam- mable materials, such as paper. • Install glare filters on computer screens, when possible.
Lastly, relax your senses when you get home. If you cannot control the noise and light pollution levels in your office, you can definitely do so in your home. That’s 16 hours of your senses and your nerves getting much needed rest. So when at home, turn off as much as you can—your radio, TV, computer, etc. Instead, enjoy the dark and the silence—pollution free.
Looking to enhance your corporate healthcare benefits? E-mail us at benefits@activelink-consult.com.
The Orange wants to he ar from you!
Glare is the inability to see because of the presence of a light source. This can happen when light reflects off a computer screen. Light clutter and skyglow are seldom seen inside the office. Light clutter is excessive grouping of lights. Skyglow is when the sky seems to glow due to excessive lights on the ground.
Light pollution has the following ill effects on the human body: • Increased headache • Worker fatigue
The information in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a doctor for all matters relating to your health, particularly for symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. © 2011 ActiveLink
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ActiveLink 7/F Electra House Building 115-117 Esteban St., Legaspi Village, Makati City www.activelink-consult.com
Dying to ask us your health related questio ns? Itching to share your pe rsonal health tips? Want to sugg est topics for future issues? Feel free to contac t us. You can e-m ail our team at orange@activ elink-consult.c om.