Stale air at work prompts more sick days

Employees who work in poorly ventilated offices are more likelyto call in sick than are people who work in well-ventilated offices,Harvard researchers reported Tuesday.

People who work in buildings where air is constantlyrecirculated may be more likely to catch a cold, flu or other illnessfrom sick co-workers than people who work in buildings equipped withventilation systems that bring in more fresh air, suggested thestudy's lead investigator, Dr. Donald K. Milton.

The findings, based on a one-year study of 4,119 U.S. workers in40 buildings, were reported at the annual meeting of the AmericanLung Association and the American Thoracic Society.Chicken pox …