Sounds to me like the major problem is the fact that she does sit in line with an AC vent. Umm… MOVE!
A nice down-filled coat would help too, I’d think.
Catherwood
Get her this. Cuddle Ewe - The personal comforter
Yeah the name is too cute for words, but it has been a life saver! I have family on bloodthinners and they always stay cold. This really helps!
Exactly. As I said earlier in the thread, the air exiting the AC vents is generally about 20 degrees F below ambient, which in this case, means about 50 degrees.
What temperature does the doctor say is safe for her?
If they won’t move her desk (which they should) they should put plastic re-directors on the vents to the air at least doesn’t come straight down on her.
If your girlfriend can’t handle it she should quit and get another job instead of bitch at other’s who seem to have no problems with it.
Rob V stated the obvious solution - Just Move. Rather than complaining or reporting to state and fed officials for “legal room temperature settings”, just have her act civil and request for some reasonable accomodation (I know it’s ADA language, but have your friend refrain from using it as leverage) like relocate, or better yet, a vent that disperses the air in a different direction or have more airflow directed to other vents in the room (if there are other vents). Just getting the colder forced air off of her will help tremendously.
As for the doctor diagnosing her illness being attributed by the air conditioner, I would ask her to get a second opinion, and not tell the second doctor about the AC problem unless the doctor asks about her work environment. I have witnessed employees forcing their opinion on doctors to diagnose their illness because of work environment, only to find out later (to the detriment of the employee) that they had a very serious ailment/tumor that was not work related. There are many colder places that I can think of than an office where women work and do not suffer any negative health effects. Let the doctor do his job and not have your friend force the doctor to try to make the illness fit the environment. It might save her a lot of time and suffering in the long run.
Again, before everyone continues to jump all over her, let me restate something:
She got a space heater. The symptoms subsided almost immediately. Use of the space heater was then proscribed. The symptoms subsequently returned. She ONLY has these symptoms when the AC is on.
Shes not “bitching at other’s”, skateboarder. She has asked to 1) use a space heater 2) be moved to another room 3) be moved away from the vent. All of these requests have been denied. None of these requests require anyone else to sacrifice his or her comfort.
She cannot just quit her job and get another one because of stipulations in her visa. If this were anyone else, that would be my immediate recommendation.
So, what’s preventing her from looking for another job, BEFORE she quits the ice box? Has she been there long enough to have some vacation/personal-absence time acrued? If so, scour the papers and internet for jobs, line up some interviews, take vacation from the ice-box, and interview. Hopefully, a new job wil be offered, and she can bale from the ice-box right into a new one. Visa problem solved, no?
BTW, Nick, I don’t think we’re all trying to gang up on the poor girl. :^) I’m sure this is frustrating to you both. But it sounds like she’s in a “production” type environment, where the attitude of managment is usually, “Hey, we don’t want your problems, we want your labor. If ya don’t like it here, move along, there’s 5 other yobs waiting to take your place.” If they aren’t even will to accomodate an electric blanket (space heaters ARE dangerous) then she may have no choice but to change jobs. Best wishes.
And remember: Health comes FIRST. A second opinion might be a good idea.
Porgey Tirebiter
For those of you who think 70-72 is a ‘reasonable’ setting I’d say you’re probably living in a moderate climate and/or are at least average to above average body size.
I’d be glad to know the outcome of this situation, as it’s something I deal with too. Humidity here in FL is outrageous – and the thermometer in my office is set at a frost-riddled 73! I’ve been lucky that I was allowed to bring in a space heater, but without it I’m frozen solid. It gets so cold that my fingers go numb and I can’t even type. There’s only one other person in the office that gets as cold as me – and we’re both the only small people in the building.
She’s lucky though that she’s allowed to wear sweaters – our dress code prohibits it, so I’m usually stuck in skirts or thin slacks, and sometimes my space heater isn’t even enough to keep me warm.
I’m with you. 70-72 would be very uncomfortable for me to work in.
Luckily, I have a small portable heater under my desk that I run all summer. 
i had a similar problem. The a/c at my job was broken and my work area was 58-62 degrees for about 2 years! After weeks of trying to get the temperature fixed with no results I changed my outfit. I wore underware + T shirt + longjohns (tops and bottoms) + 2 pairs of wool socks + regular kaki slacks + a regular button down dress shirt. I was quite warm.
I’m with y’all - my office has a western-facing window & in the summer it gets over 80° (right now my thermometer says 84°). I’m fairly comfortable, except my slightly cold hands and very cold feet! In the winter, I run a space heater all day, wear wool socks and sweaters/jackets, etc.
kcin, I know you said your girlfriend has had her thyroid checked, but was it done by a GP or an endocrinologist? My GP misdiagnosed me for years - a competent endocrinologist determined that I didn’t respond to the usual drug protocol and put me on an “experimental” protocol which has helped me a lot (though I still have these blasted cold extremities!). Many GPs and OB-GYNs (whom many women use as their PCP) simply don’t know how to read the T3 and T4 results correctly, or at least with as much knowledge and skill as an endocrinologist.
(Oh, and to keep with the trend:) Betty Jo Bioloski 
(Que the organist) wwwweeeEEEEEEE!!!
I must say, I am surprised that so many seem to pick up on my user name. Ive been posting here for over a year with nary a comment, and now an avalanche!
I have honestly never in my entire life met anyone who knows about the Four or Five Crazy Guys other than my father, who introduced me to them. They seem to have slipped through the fingers of history.
Returning to the subject:
She works for a Japanese car part manufacturer, and as a Japanese-English translator she is one of a very small number who sits in front of a computer all day. Most of the employees are male engineers who run around all day.
Shes buying a microwavable heating pad. Ill let you know how that goes. I cant think that the safety guy has any objections to THAT.
I live in a warm humid area (south east) and am a small girl. 70-72 is slightly chilly for me. It isn’t unreasonable though.
What did the doctor say was a safe temperature for her to work in?
Hijack
Well, Nick, Firesign Theater haven’t completely fallen off the face of the earth. Yet. If you visit NPR’s website, you’ll see that they have been doing occasional segments for NPR. They have a bunch of them archived on NPR’s website. Unfortunately, you have to have RealAudio in order to listen to most of them. Last I was there, I WAS able to play a couple of them with WMP. Freakin’ hilarious and surreal as always!
( I STILL have “The Further Adventures of Nick Danger” committed to memory (Dr. Memory?) from when I was in High School, and that was 1977. Don’t ask me why.)
End Hijack
She doesn’t necessarily need to ‘buy’ a microwave heating pack … she can make her own which is just a bag with rice in it (regular whatever, not the par-boiled stuff). I’m sure one could be sewn like a mini-quilt with a little bit of rice in little pockets, to give her blanket coverage, just nuke and wear. Maybe take about two yards of fabric, max, and a smallish bag of rice. (I learned how to make the small coverage area ones in birthing class, so it’s not a stretch to see how it would be converted into something similar with a larger surface area)
I completely understand her employment situation, if we needed another linguist I’d hook you guys up with our company.
And the safety bastard can damn well spend some money on a few of these:
http://www.espenergy.com/air_deflector.htm
Deflect the air from blowing down directly on her.