Hospital employees sick, Pittsburg

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Toxic Mold Making Workers Sick?

Mar 4, 2005 5:28 pm US/Eastern

Pittsburgh (KDKA) Tests confirm that there is toxic mold in a building where

a group of employees have complained of everything from rashes and shortness

of breath to hair loss; but as KD Investigator Marty reports, their

employer says there's no proof that the mold is making them sick.

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" Independent experts have found no causal relationship between the work

environment and employee symptoms... "

-- Statement released from Mercy Hospital

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Last week, KDKA reported that a group of people who work on the fourth floor

of a lab operated by Mercy Hospital became sick with similar symptoms; but

after extensive testing, Mercy Hospital said it didn't find anything out of

the ordinary.

Now, Mercy's own tests indicate that a toxic type of mold, called

Stachybotrys is present in the building.

Stachybotrys, which is sometimes called " black mold, " has been linked to

serious illnesses.

Former lab employee Belinda Schmidt took photographs inside the building

that she says shows mold growth around ceiling vents and doorframes. " I have

gone through the entire lab -- in an effort while working on site, " Schmidt

explains, " to find what the possible problem could be. "

Documents obtained by the KD Investigators show for the first time that

Mercy Hospital's own tests have found mold in ceiling tile that has been

identified as Stachybotrys.

" It causes all of the symptoms exactly like what we're experiencing -- the

hair loss, skin rashes respiratory symptoms... " -- Belinda Schmidt, Former

Mercy Employee

In a statement, Mercy says in testing for mold it found " four, small,

isolated, water-damaged areas that show evidence of mold growth, " but they

found

" no airborne concentrations of mold. "

To date, Mercy says " independent experts have found no causal relationship

between the work environment and employee symptoms. "

But Schmidt says that's not good enough; she says photographs of her hair

falling out should be enough to force the hospital to move all of the employees

from the lab.

" I'm hurt by it and I'm actually disgusted by it -- because I expect people

to do the right thing... I guess I'm an idealist and I just expect people to

make the right decisions. " -- Belinda Schmidt, Former Mercy Employee

Mercy has tested for other volatile organic compounds, radiation, lead,

mercury and more; but to date, all the results are within normal limits.

At this point, it's not clear what will happen now that the building has

tested positive for toxic mold.