OSHA-?
There are carbon monoxide level limits in parking garages. It has something to do with the weight of the gases and the toxicity.
Contact Carl Halgren, OSHA-NOT OHSU.
Reese

Wait a minute... there aren't supposed to be any cars in South Waterfront. How can there be auto exhaust??

I'd recommend people just park up on the hill and take the tram down there.

the bad news is when automobiles are present, you're breathing toxic levels of exhaust. almost always.

for example, a walk downtown is just as bad for you as several minutes in that parking garage.

heck, living near the freeway is even worse.

oh, and [rim shot] for Dave's comment.

Wait a minute now."the bad news is when automobiles are present you're breathing toxic levels of exhaust.almost always...a walk downtown is just as bad for you as several minutes in that parking garage." I don't think that last statement is entirely accurate. If you are walking downtown you are exposed to unhealthy levels of car exhaust but because we are talking fairly open spaces here the ratio of fresh air to pollutants is less then there would be within an enclosed space where it could reach toxic levels faster. I'm not trying to defend automobile use I just think you are making a large assumption when you say one is equivalent to the other.

Do people turn green when they breath too much in this green building? It cost a lot of green so I wonder why the problem exists in the first place.
Green on-green off, "it's sustainable".

tom,

it's true. i wish i was just making an assumption. a moderate-length walk in downtown Portland is just as harmful to your lungs as 2-3 minutes in an unventilated parking garage.

most people (falsely) assume that because they're in an open space, there's "fresh" air to help the situation.

I thought the thing with green buildings was to make them more efficient to seal them drum-tight. You know, you can heat a house with a hair dryer.

Maybe we will have to have some revisionist science soon.

a moderate-length walk in downtown Portland is just as harmful to your lungs as 2-3 minutes in an unventilated parking garage.

Interesting. You have data to back this up?
Because you would think the DEQ would be calling "clear air action days" every day.
(And we havent had one of those in a while.)

Well, normally, I'd agree with alesia, that you should take it to OSHA and/or DEQ.

However, in speaking to a friend about it, she reminded me that she's a member of the OHSU Safety Team and asked me to forward the post to her and she'd see if she can get anything rectified.

I personally wouldn't be too hopeful, trying to get anything obviously sane accomplished with the bureaucracy up at OHSU is like trying to push a rope uphill.

I would think that such circumstances would be enough to eliminate any LEED 'green building' standards, of which OHSU seems to be inordinately proud.

Jon, Tom - this 2000 BBC report on a study by the National Health Service in London and backed by their Council, says Londoners are more likely to die from traffic pollution than in a road accident.

Amander,

So what.

The subject was a parking garage, in Portland, remarkably enough, not "traffic pollution" in London.

Thanks, Amanda. But I was looking for data for Portland.

Jon,

DEQ and EPA have analyses for Portland. if you're doing research (which it sounds like you are), then i'm hoping you'll post what you find (or a reference to it) here.

what's the goal of your research, by the way?

"The subject was a parking garage, in Portland, remarkably enough, not "traffic pollution" in London."

O snap!

what's the goal of your research, by the way?

Im curious about statements made here about air quality in Portland.

Im curious about statements made here about air quality in Portland.

excellent, i'm glad you're taking time to learn more about it. here's one place to start:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/toxics/pata.htm

this is a large topic, though, so i wouldn't expect commenters to supply data each time they post a comment. if you're doubting that breathing exhausting is harmful, i think the data is plentiful. if you're doubting the degree of that harm, the data's also plentiful.

good luck and happy reading.

Remember a made for TV remake version of "The Invaders" that featured Richard Thomas (John Boy) as one of the aliens? He used to sneak out into the shed at night and breath auto exhaust to get straightened up.

Amanda,

Sorry - that was over the top. No excuses, just rudeness.

Again, sorry.