Environment: Indoor Pollution

Formaldehyde leads the list

Employees of the local social services department looked forward to their relocation to a new building in downtown San Francisco last year. But almost as soon as the move occurred, one of them was plagued by headaches, skin rashes, a dry throat and coughing. Puzzled doctors prescribed so much medication that she was hospitalized twice for drug reactions. Depressed by her strange illness, she had to stop working temporarily.

The woman was the victim of a new type of environmental blight: indoor pollution. By caulking seams, using multi-pane windows and...