A dangerous carbon dioxide buildup linked to poor ventilation has sparked urgent health concerns at the David L. McKoy Building in Belmopan, triggering temporary evacuations of multiple tenants and highlighting years of unresolved infrastructure issues at the facility that first opened its doors in 2021. The Social Security Board (SSB), which manages the property, has launched an emergency response to address the hazard after receiving official reports of elevated indoor carbon dioxide levels.
In an official interview with local outlet News Five, SSB representatives confirmed that the agency mobilized immediately once the issue was brought to their attention. Response teams quickly moved to trace the source of the contamination, evaluate potential remediation strategies, and open a formal tender process to implement a permanent, long-term fix for the recurring air quality problems.
Reliable sources close to the situation have confirmed to News Five that two major tenants were forced to temporarily relocate their entire operations out of the building over the past several weeks. United Nations agencies based on the building’s second floor evacuated the space entirely, as did the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, which occupied the fourth floor. Notably, two commercial call centers operating from the first and third floors remained in the building through the incident, leaving their staff exposed to potential risks.
Public health professionals have repeatedly warned that extended exposure to elevated carbon dioxide in under-ventilated indoor environments can lead to a range of severe short and long-term health outcomes, including headaches, fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and in extreme cases, damage to vital organ systems. SSB’s internal investigation confirmed that insufficient building-wide ventilation systems were the primary cause of the dangerous drop in indoor air quality.
As an initial remediation step, SSB has already installed Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) systems and continuous air quality monitoring equipment on the second and third floors. Installation of identical ventilation systems is currently underway on the remaining first and fourth floors, with work progressing on schedule. SSB officials explained that ERV systems resolve poor air quality by cycling out stale, carbon dioxide-rich indoor air and replacing it with fresh outdoor air, all while retaining most of the energy used to heat or cool the building to avoid spiking utility costs. The agency added that it will continue to closely monitor air quality and system performance across all floors to ensure the hazard is fully resolved.
The incident marks just the latest in a string of infrastructure problems that have plagued the David L. McKoy Building since it opened five years ago, raising questions about construction oversight and long-term maintenance planning for public sector properties in Belmopan.