Santa Clara County employees return after mold cleanup

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http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2003/July/20/local/stories/08local.htm

July 20, 2003

County employees return after mold cleanupSENTINEL STAFF REPORT Movers began hauling office equipment and furniture back into an empty Health and Human Resource services building at 1400 Emeline Ave. Saturday — nearly two years after toxic mold forced workers out.

In August 2001, researchers found a variety of mold in the air and sticking to surfaces, including Penicillium, Asppergillus and Stachybotrys — the "black mold" linked to long-term respiratory infections.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, molds are found virtually everywhere, both indoors and outdoors, year round. Growth is encouraged by warm and humid conditions.

County officials have sued E.A. Hathaway, the Santa Clara contracting firm responsible for the building’s $10 million construction in 1995, for relocation and renovation costs.

Workers were originally scheduled to move back May 9, but construction workers discovered replaced windows were not air-tight and they had to remove and replace parts of the 5-foot-long windows.

County spokeswoman Dinah said the county cleaned all of the building’s surfaces, including the ducts, and the building is now safe for habitation.

She said the lawsuit is "moving along at a glacial speed," and the cost of relocation, which she estimated at more than $1 million, will not be known until 30 days after everyone has moved back into the building.