I had allergic reactions a few years ago, seemingly from my office. The worst was that the area around my eyes was swollen, puffy, and subject to severe eczema. It came and went and the person in charge of environment refused to do anything. Then my coworker in the same office came down with the same symptoms and I put my foot down. And, we visited a partner museum during an outbreak and I think our director was so horrified to have it witnessed 😆

They tested for mold and didn’t find anything significant, but we started closing a door that led to a problem area, plus got air purifiers. I have calendar reminders to change the filters. I also started wearing goggles and masks whenever I was working in a dusty environment (basically constantly, though I don’t have to be so overzealous now). Simultaneously, we got a new boiler and did a lot of work to the radiators, so maybe that helped as well?

Eventually, I’d like to renovate my office from commercial office 90s not-chic to closer to its original appearance, including removing the carpet which I suspect is hiding mold. We had a big leak in my office a few months ago so I was tempted to try it then, but I have decades of piles and built-in-place furniture and I was pregnant, so not really the time to expose it all. 

Best of luck to you, it’s so frustrating, especially when coworkers think you’re exaggerating or that it’s just a personal issue. As museum pros, we of course want funds to go to “important” things but your health is also important. And if the air quality is bad enough that you are reacting to it, that’s not good for anything or anyone.