State office mold rumor disputed

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State office mold rumor disputed

Unions join Labor Department in trying to quell health concerns

raised by flier

Albany Times Union, Albany, NY

By CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY, Staff writer

http://www.timesunion.com/ASPStories/Story.asp?

StoryID=587470 & Category=STATE & LinkFrom=RSS

ALBANY -- State and union officials are trying to quell rumors of an

office-wide health problem in Building 12, a Department of Labor

building on the Harriman State Office Building Campus.

While three cases of sarcoidosis have been reported among workers in

Building 12, according to union officials, there is no apparent

connection to the building itself.

Last month, someone circulated a flier that claimed there were eight

confirmed cases of the disease caused by mold in the courtyard.

The flier was bogus, said representatives from the Department of

Labor and the two unions with members in the building, the Civil

Service Employees Union and the Public Employees Federation.

Leaders of CSEA heard of three cases of the disease, so the union

issued a bulletin to employees in February, said Therese Assalian,

Capital Region spokeswoman for CSEA. The bulletin described the

symptoms of the disease and asked workers to contact the union with

any related health concerns.

PEF included a blurb about the issue in its December newsletter,

said PEF spokeswoman Darcy Wells.

" We just wanted to say 'We are hearing a buzz about this, we are

monitoring it and we want to hear from you,' " she said.

Neither union received much feedback, but last month a flier

appeared stating there were eight cases in Building 12.

According to the flier, " It is more than likely that there is

something intrinsic to building 12 that is causing this problem.

Mold is one of the triggers for Sarcoidosis. There is a heavy

concentration of mold in the two courtyards in the center of

building 12. "

The flier stated that the ventilation system sucked in the mold and

released it throughout the office building. Two names of union reps

are attached to the document and the name of " Cross, Director

of Health. "

The union people exist, but not Cross, officials said.

" Honestly, the biggest concern is that there is misinformation out

there, " Wells said.

No cases of sarcoidosis in Building 12 have been reported to the

Department of Labor, said Perham, a department spokeswoman.

While people exposed to mold have developed sarcoidosis, there is no

definitive link.

Union officials say they will continue to monitor the issue and seek

information from anyone with health problems, but say there was no

conclusive connection between the building and the illness.

Anyone with health problems they believe are related to the building

should contact the building services office and their union, Perham

said.

Cathleen F. Crowley can be reached at 454-5348, or by e-mail at

ccrowley@....

Ill feeling

Sarcoidosis causes inflammation in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver,

eyes, skin and other tissues. Its cause is unknown. Symptoms include

general discomfort, fever, shortness of breath, rashes, visual

changes and enlarged organs. Most cases of sarcoidosis resolve

gradually on their own, though it can cause permanent damage to

organs.

Source: National Institutes of Health