Can something in the office air make one faint?

I work in an office in Alameda California with about 20 co-workers. Over a period of 3 weeks we had two guys faint (one of the guys fainted twice). We want to determine whether these symptoms could possible be related to the office environment. We planto bring in an industrial hygienist to sample the air quality – but we need to tell him/her what to sample for. In reading the literature, it looks like we should sample for CO and CO2 – even though no one is complaining of headaches.

How likely is it that these fainting spells are related to indoor air quality, and if it’s possible that they are related, what pollutants should we be testing for?

What have the doctors and tests performed on the workers who fainted revealed? I assume they went to the doctor or hospital correct?

Yes, they were either seen by EMTs on site and/or went to the emergency room. For one of the individuals who fainted twice, he was kept in the hospital several days for testing that all came back negative. The other guy who fainted was seen on site by EMTs. During their assessment, his head cleared and he started to feel normal so he chose to stay at work. He had no follow on issues.

How about look for lack of fresh air and you have low oxygen in the office .

Unfortunately, fainting is one of those symptoms which can be attributed to many many different problems. As an inspector if someone came to me asking these type of questions I would advise them to seek the counsel of their physician and follow his or her recommendations to the letter.

If these type of symptoms persist then there might be reason for concern and testing of the office may be needed. Otherwise, if the episodes are not repeating I think you are on a wild goose chase for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Even the diet, exercise, lifestyle and sleeping habits of the individuals may play a role; none of those can be quantified very easily. Testing will most likely not answer the questions you seek if a physician can’t find anything wrong.

I agree several things could be happening
Where the individuals on the same floor and location.
Is it just office space , start checking the air handling unit fresh air intakes humidifiers and so on
Do the ,individuals have anything in common such as hearing aids?
If so is there been any new energy controls or security using ultrasonic sensors.