FW: Digest Number 2559

[Guest guest]

Show your employer info from internet info NIOSH, EPA, or New York City

Department of Health, among the many others. Also Red Cross. All these

agencies take mold seiously as a health concern. Prolonged exposure must be

avoided. Carpet must be removed, by workers with rubber gloves and

respiratory protection. Wall paneling or drywall must be removed. By now,

all your papers are probably pretty contaminated.

You are in a situation which will almost definitely result in health

deterioration. It will start with a light cough. It will get progressively

worse. When you finally leave, the sensitization will stay for a long time.

Lungs will be sensitive to one smoker in a large room. Other symptoms will

be lack of energy, fatigue, headaches, and maybe worse. Other illnesses are

common, due to suppressed immune system.

Insist on moving to an entirely different office, or perhaps working at

your home. If that is not acceptable, remind your boss of her legal

liability. I'm sure she should understand that.

Gil

Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 00:47:49 -0000

From: " blessed_5x " <mfdf4@...>

Subject: What should I do?

Hi to all,

I have a situation that I am not sure how to handle. Perhaps

somebody out there can offer their thoughts. Well, I work for a

Lawyer and 4 out of 5 days I go to her home to do assigned work. I

have developed a wonderful relationship with my boss and I love my

job. So what is the problem you might ask? A few months ago it

rained very hard here in Maine and caused some flooding. Well, I

work in the basement of my bosses house and guess what happened?

You guessed it, it flooded. It took sometime (prob. weeks) before

the carpet was, I think, dry. I'm not so sure that it really did

dry completely. So, about 6 weeks later it happened again! At

least 8 inches of the worst looking water you could think of. Now,

I KNOW that the carpet hasn't fully dried since then because I have

nealed down on it and my clothes get wet (not soaked, but sill

damp). Also, there is no mistaking the smell of mold, NO

MISTAKING! I didn't think anything of it because the buliding is an

old buliding (1920's) so I thought it was part of owning an old

house. Well, yesterday I went to work and I dropped a pen on the

floor and when I went to bend down to pick it up, I found black,

fuzzy mold! It wouldn't upset me so much if it was just this one

patch of mold (about 8x8 inches) but I think it may be behind the

walls because the paint and wood are buckling all over the room.

There is even a mushroom type mold growing from a wooden toy box

that she has down there. Never mind all the paperwork that has been

damaged, not only by the two flooding situations, but from a

previous (before I started working for her) broken pipe situation.

I told and showed my boss the mold and she told me that her doctor

told her that she could use pepermint soap to wash it up and get rid

of the problem. She told me also, after the first incident, that

she was going to get somebody to paint with anti-bacterial paint. I

just don't think that any paint will fix the problem behind the

walls. So, I am inbetween a rock and a hard place because I am

afraid if I press the issue I will loose my job because I know she

doesn't have the money to fix it all. Also, I don't want to just

leave the job because, as I stated earlier, I love it and I really

need the money and hours (I have four kids schedules to work around)

that this job offers).

Well, I have so much more that I can say as to this subject but I

have to go for now. FYI, I wanted everybody to know that I did take

several pictures of my work area/mold. It just so happens that the

day that I brought my camera (to take a picture of a kitten that I

may get from my boss) to work was the day that I spotted the mold.

So, if anybody has any suggestions as to what they would do if they

were in my situation, PLEASE let me know!

Thanks!