I'm new and here's my story

[Guest guest]

My name is Kim and I have been employed with this company for for 6

1/2 years. Six weeks after starting work in 1999 I got sicker than

I had ever been and was in bed for a week with a sinus infection and

bronchitis. After that, I began getting sinus infections every

Spring and Fall. Each year they seemed to get worse.

Then about a 2 years ago I developed a rash on my hands, which I

attributed to Eczema I had has a child, only this time nothing would

take it away. It would start to get better at home, but then would

get worse again at work. I thought maybe it was the water, so I

tried different soaps, and even switched to using baby wipes to

clean my hands.

Last year (2004) my health started to deteriorate too. I had 3

sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, and an ear

infection. I had gone on vacation for 2 weeks in October and was

feeling really good by the time I returned. After a few days in the

office, I started feeling sick again.

In January 2005, a ceiling tile in our office collapsed due to the

roof leak (which we have had ever since I started working there -

the landlords have never repaired it, but simply replaced the

stained ceiling tiles - numerous times). This tile collapse left

the ceiling open and the insulation exposed. Upon review of the

insulation, my coworker and I saw what appeared to us to be mold.

After that I gave my boss a letter (I put it in writing this time)

requesting he have the landlords get the building inspected for mold

infestation. They had a company come out and they only did a visual

inspection of a couple of ceiling tiles, saying there was less than

3 square feet of mold. I persisted and asked them to come back out

and do an air sampling. They did, but only from my room of the

office. They did not check the areas of the office where the roof

leaks were, nor did they test the air ducts. So, I hired and paid

for an independent inspection from a certified mold inspector. He

tested the air ducts, and swabbed the insulation. His test showed

elevated levels of mold IN the HVAC ducts as well as unusual mold

conditions ON the insulation. Of course, the landlord's inspector

has been refuting my inspector's reports.

In January 2005 I ended up with another sinus infection & ear

infection and was put on 2000 mg of antibiotics as well as

Prednisone. I went from doctor to doctor getting tested for

allergies to mold (blood tests, prick tests, intradermal tests --

all came back negative), asthma and vocal chord dysfunction. I

finally found an Environmental Medicine doctor who did a different

type of allergy testing (provocative/neutralization) and he was able

to reproduce my symptoms and conclude that I am indeed allergic to

the molds that were found in my office building.

At his suggestion, I have remained out of the office since March

9th. I told my boss that I was going to take sick leave until they

set me up to work from home (with a VPN) until the building was

cleaned, moved the office temporarily until it was cleaned, or moved

the office permanently since our lease was up anyway. I ended up

using my sick days through the month of March when my boss informed

me I was out of sick days and put me on unpaid leave. I went back

to the office on April 6th to see if what they had done was enough

to keep me from getting sick, but I got sick again. After that, my

boss let me work from home.

On 2/16/2005, they installed HEPA filters in the HVAC system.

On 3/1/2005, my independent mold inspector did his inspection and

found that there was elevated levels of mold in the HVAC system and

unusual mold conditions on the insulation.

On 3/15/2005, they had the carpets shampooed in the office.

On 4/12/2005 they began the replacement of the roof.

Sometime in between 4/6/05 and now they have replaced the stained

ceiling tiles, but did not replace the insulation - they simply cut

a piece of it off. They have not cleaned the air ducts.

Now I have received a letter from my boss telling me of

an " unconditional offer " to return to the office this Wednesday,

June 15th. If I don't, they will consider that an abandonment of my

position.

He also included with that a copy of the most recent testing by the

landlord's inspector. This test revealed that the mold spore levels

were now higher outside than inside, but those tests also revealed

that the levels in my office did not go down, but went up... and now

they also show signs of STACHYBOTRYS in my office.

So, am I supposed to return to a building that makes me sick? Am I

supposed to just quit because I'm afraid of the long term health

effects of working in that environment? If I don't go back, I lose

all my benefits, not to mention my salary. Can I collect

unemployment compensation if I quit on these grounds?

I have lots of documentation and photos. I would really like to

know what my options are. I already contacted OSHA, but there

aren't any guidelines for indoor air quality so they have no grounds

for compliance. I just don't understand why my boss would not made

the landlords clean the building, regardless of what their inspector

said, when I had an independent, non-biased, inspector who says

there is a problem. Plus, the fact that we lease the office space

and that our lease was up for renewal should give him the leverage

for getting that accomplished.

I've already been online for about 3 hours this morning doing

research. I just found this group, so I haven't had time to read

through any of the messages yet, but any assistance would be

appreciated.

Kim