A quick check on some health and safety and gas installation websites suggests
CO levels in enclosed car park attendant booths could be well in excess of laid
down safety levels - though there are no dates on the websites so I don't
know for sure what the present day situation is with best practice.

See below.

How about asking the individual's GP or consultant to check with public health or

H&SE whether the car park is adequately ventilated, as well as all the other
ideas?


http://www.angelfire.com/nb/hazsub/RISKS.html
A shopping centre car park has a number of employees that carry out a variety of
duties. Some of them work on the car park booths
to collect tickets and parking fees. Other employees are usually involved in
relieving booth operators and roaming around the
carpark to attend to entry gates, and occasionally directing traffic. The main
hazardous substance exposure is carbon monoxide
(CO) from the exhausts of cars. The car park is predominantly naturally
ventilated with a few areas of the car park with mechanical
ventilation. The car park booths are not ventilated. The booth collectors can be
exposed to high levels of CO during peak periods,
usually at lunch and closing times. The person roaming around relieving staff is
also exposed to high CO levels when relieving
booth operators. during meal breaks, and when directing traffic. Directing
traffic exposes this person to high CO levels due to
working in heavy traffic and near the vehicles. CO exposure may cause headaches,
nausea, weakness and dizziness. CO
combines with haemoglobin in the blood to reduce the supply of oxygen to the
body. To control exposure the car park booths should
be mechanically ventilated with fresh air drawn form a source away from vehicle
exhausts. Exposure for the person acting as relief
for the booth operators can only be reduced by providing tasks to be carried out
with no CO exposure and by reducing booth CO
levels. Exposure to CO can occur in any workplace where the combustion of fuels
occurs. This includes warehouses, automotive
repair and service centres, toll collecting, drive through outlets and car
auction houses.


http://www.corgi-gas.com/selected_carbon.asp
                      Walking down the pavement on our way to the local pub
                      may expose us to CO at up to 6.4 ppm (parts per million)
                      and, once in the pub, this could possibly increase to 10.9
                      ppm -mainly due to the inhalation of tobacco smoke. If
                      we drive our cars, we may be exposed to 13.8 ppm inside,
                      and if we were to park in an underground car park, this
                      exposure could increase to 44 ppm. If we were to work in
                      a garage workshop, we may be exposed to 49.2 ppm.

                      Safety guidelines The Health and Safety Executive
                      specifies a safety guideline for atmospheric CO of 30 ppm
                      on an eight-hour time weighted average. The World
                      Health Organisation has recommended an eight-hour
                      average of 10 ppm.

                      In 1994, The Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards
                      recommended that the UK should have an air quality
                      standard for CO of 10 ppm in an eight-hour period.

Brian Morgan





Dr David G Williams wrote:

> I'm inclined to agree that 11% seems high unless the lady in question is chain
> smoking. While there is some CO produced by metabolism, it is unlikely that
> this would account for the level.
> Can the lady be persuaded to stop smoking for a day (under observation)and the
> CO levels measured then?
>
> David G
> Williams
>
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