A few years ago I complained to my administration about the background ventilation noise at my office in Barcelona. My office was inspected and the administrator told me half-joking, half-serious, that I should go to Sweden to lodge this complaint—that it was not considered a problem in Spain. I had no headaches or feeling of malaise. If I had though, I would have had no chance of them been considered of occupational origin and of preventive measures being implemented. A few months ago, during a short visit to a US research institute, I was located at an office with a very high background ventilation noise. After a few hours work I did end up with a severe headache. My colleagues next to me did not seem to notice, or perhaps had, simply, no alternative. Had I been in a similar …