Mold detected in courthouse; areas cleaned

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Mold detected in courthouse; areas cleaned

Fungi not dangerous, but may affect allergies, authorities caution; 'I think

it's all over the building'; Workers continue testing behind walls, in ducts

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By Goldberg

Sun Staff

Originally published October 9, 2002

High concentrations of mold were found in three courtrooms and in office

areas of the state's attorney and court clerk in County's circuit

courthouse, county officials said yesterday.

Environmental testing on the old, cramped building revealed four different

fungi, none of which is dangerous but all of which might cause allergic

reactions in employees who may be sensitive to the substances, according to

an update circulated yesterday to building employees.

Mold ranging from common fungi to mildew to " bread mold " was found in five

samples taken from the three courtrooms, from two samples taken from peeling

paint on a stairway wall in the state's attorney's office and from two areas

in Clerk of the Circuit Court Margaret D. Rappaport's space, according to

the update.

But other samples from the clerk's office lunchroom and near clerks' work

stations were found to be " a sugary drink like fruit juice or a carbonated

soda, " the report says.

County employees have cleaned the mold off the walls and plan to spend the

next few weekends testing behind the courtroom walls to see if the

building's drywall is causing the mold, said M. Irvin, 's public

works director.

The county will also test the heating and air-conditioning duct work near

the affected areas, he said.

" We want to find a way to make sure it doesn't come back, " he said.

While the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has no

standards to regulate mold growth, " exposure to high levels of molds causes

some illnesses in susceptible people, " according to a statement from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The molds found in the courthouse have been associated with respiratory

problems and allergic reactions, according to various Web sites detailing

the fungi.

The mold tests were among the last performed by the county in a long series

of environmental checks in the building in the wake of a top-to-bottom

review of the courthouse structure by state occupational health workers.

With courthouse employees complaining of everything from irritated eyes to

congestion to respiratory infections, Rappaport called officials with the

land Occupational Safety and Health office to the building in the

spring.

Courthouse employees talk of watching mold grow from spots to swaths over a

few months and of clerks who suffered coughing fits while working in the

courtrooms.

" I never had sinus problems until I started working in this building, " said

Cale, the court reporter for Judge B. Dudley. " And they never

let up. "

And while the county's recent mold results seemed to imply yesterday that

there were no significant problems in the clerk's office, Rappaport said she

believes there may be fungi in places the county did not test.

" If it's growing [in the courtrooms], then it's got to be growing here, " she

said, noting that employees are still complaining of health problems.

" I think it's all over the building in the vents. "

Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun