Growing up in Southern California, I recall countless days of not being allowed to play outdoors because of dangerously high levels of smog in the air. This health threat, known to the locals as a third-stage smog alert, was so extreme that the government issued warnings to stay indoors and limit movement as much as possible. Eventually, public outcry forced more stringent oversight on industrial pollutants released into the atmosphere. As a result, air quality began to improve.

Now, in the first part of the 21st century, the topic of air quality has returned to the forefront, but concerns have shifted from outdoor air pollution to indoor air. The new health concern is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and they should be on the radar of operators of fitness facilities just as much as homeowners and landlords of office buildings.

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