(Rep-Elect) Kagen inspects mold in basement of House offices

[Guest guest]

Kagen inspects mold in basement of House offices

By Tumulty

Post-Crescent Washington bureau December 7, 2006

WASHINGTON — He hasn’t taken office yet, but Rep.-elect Steve Kagen was on

the job Thursday in the basement of the Longworth House Office Building

inspecting mold that had been found there.

Officials from the Architect of the Capitol fitted a respirator on the

Appleton allergist for the inspection.

“So even before I get sworn in, I get to use some expertise,†Kagen said.

“The good news is that it’s been adequately contained, so that it looks

like it won’t be an issue,†said Kagen after the inspection, noting that an

airtight seal has been placed around the room with “a negative airflowâ€

that

discharges the room’s air from the roof of the building.

Kagen was alerted to the problem a day earlier when he read an article in

The Hill, a local weekly newspaper that reported five different types of mold

had been in the building’s basement, “some of them dangerous,†and it was

awaiting cleanup.

Since he will occupy an office in the same building next month and he’s

already heard complaints from workers about asthma problems, allergies and

sinus

irritation, Kagen said he was concerned that the mold may have been the

source of the problem.

The basement room in question has a moisture problem, and there’s dangerous

asbestos that needs to be removed, he said. The asbestos problem has been

previously documented.

But he said he has no plans to ask for another office in a different

building.

“I can open the windows and get fresh air,†he noted.