State employees not happy with toxic mold cleanup at courthouse

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Article created: 09/11/2005 04:23:26 AM

State employees not happy with toxic mold cleanup at courthouse

DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@...

Bridgeport,CT

http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_3019745

BRIDGEPORT — Employees of the state courthouse on Golden Hill Street

claim toxic mold in the 120-year-old building is making them ill,

and blame state judicial officials with trying to cover up the

problem.

At the request of courthouse employees, the state did a study of the

building that found mold. And, while officials confirmed there was

mold in the building, they said it did not pose a health risk and

has been entirely cleaned up.

" We did fairly extensive testing and overall the air quality in the

building is very good, " said Siconolfi, executive director of

administrative services for the Judicial Branch. " We are doing

everything we can reasonably do. We are not ignoring the concerns or

complaints. "

Meanwhile, public defenders and prosecutors were all allowed reduced

work hours until the cleanup was completed.

Their hours vary, but both prosecutor and public defender staffs say

the reduced hours did not affect the public. The court employees,

however, contend the cleanup arranged by judicial officials is

inadequate.

In a letter drafted following several meetings, the employees say

many on the court staff suffer chronic and unexplained health

problems that they attribute to the building's mold.

Employees, who asked their names not be used for fear of

retribution, said their health has been at risk because of exposure

to dangerous conditions.

" They say it's safe, so let them come here and work, " challenged one

female employee. " If this was a school, it would have been torn down

already. "

The brick, n-style building on Golden Hill Street is one of

the busiest courthouses in the state. In addition to criminal cases,

all motor vehicle and civil small claims cases are heard there.

In November 2000, the state closed the juvenile courthouse on

Fairfield Avenue following complaints about poor conditions and

moved that court to the third floor of the Golden Hill building.

During a recent tour of the building, what appeared to be mold was

clearly evident along ceiling tiles, on rugs and coating fire

sprinklers.

Mold comprises a large group of microscopic fungi that live on plant

or animal matter. Most are filamentous organisms and produce spores

that can be air-, water- or insect-borne.

In April, the state hired EnviroScience Consultants to study the

problems after a judge complained.

The study found mold in areas of the courthouse basement and three

floors. Elevated levels of mold were found in a ceiling supply air

diffuser in the second-floor public defender's office and on a wall

behind a toilet on the third floor.

Types of mold found include the Aspergillus, Aureobasidium,

Cladosporium and Stachybotrys species.

The National Center for Environmental Health considers Stachybotrys

and Cladosporium to be dangerous, although experts disagree on the

amounts that can prove harmful.

But Siconolfi said, in many areas of the courthouse where people

claimed to see mold, what they actually saw was dirt.

Siconolfi said Bestech Enviromental Services was hired to do the

cleanup for $29,900.

" I understand that there are people extremely sensitive to mold, but

99 of 100 people are not, and for most of the public and staff there

is no problem, " he said. " A place like that is going to cause people

distress. Everything is squished in together, the offices are not

what you would want them to be, but until we get new courthouses we

have to do the best we can. "

He said after the cleanup was completed EnviroScience the areas

where mold had been found were rechecked and all found to be mold-

free. He said EnviroScience would do periodic checks of air quality

in the building.

Courthouse maintenance staff is in the process of cleaning and

painting the buildings air diffusers, he added.