Old post: I wonder what happened to these workers: CDC

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We never did see an update. I wonder what happened to these workers. Darlene

CDC workers say old buildings making them sick

by Alison Young, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

March 23, 2007

http://www.imakenews.com/pureaircontrols/e_article000782132.cfm?x=b9hlHlg,b6QPyn\

5T#a782132

Concerned about indoor air quality problems in some old buildings at the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, about 100 employees attended a

meeting Friday to voice concerns and hear what agency officials are doing to

address them.

Dust coming through air registers in one 1950s-era building, called Building 6,

has prompted 20 CDC employees in recent months to submit environmental health

incident reports and eight of them have sought evaluation at the CDC's clinic

for irritation to their eyes, nose or throats, said Dr. L. Casey Chosewood,

director of the agency's Office of Health and Safety.

More than 30 employees have been relocated to offices in other CDC buildings and

about 100 remain, a CDC spokesman said.

" A couple of folks had underlying medical conditions, asthma or allergies, and

complained of a worsening of their underlying conditions, " Chosewood said, and

they were helped to move to another building.

CDC's health and safety officials have conducted a wide range of environmental

tests, including monitoring the air at Building 6 for respirable dust — tiny

particles that can lodge in the lungs, asbestos and fiberglass. But no health

hazards have been detected, Chosewood said Friday.

" We've taken these complaints extremely seriously, " he said. " We don't just want

the air to be safe to breathe, we want this to be a comfortable place to work. "

At Friday's meeting, CDC officials told employees they could relocate to other

buildings if they wished.

Agency officials said they believe the problems are being caused by the nearby

demolition of another old CDC building on the CDC's Clifton Road campus and the

ongoing construction of a major laboratory building. To a lesser extent, the

construction dust and fumes from idling machinery have also caused complaints in

two other old buildings on the campus, called Buildings 1 and 3, Chosewood said.

All three buildings are scheduled to be replaced in coming years as part of the

agency's ongoing construction master plan.

Building 1 employees have also complained about a black sooty substance

collecting on air vents and dropping down onto their desks. Chosewood said the

soot has been tested and is not dangerous. " What we're seeing there is a result

of very old ducts, " he said. Analysis has shown the soot is coming from the

breakdown of rust, metallic particles and some wood chips. " It doesn't cause

health effects, but it may be an irritant, " he said.

Until recently, the air intake for Building 6 was at ground level, drawing in

construction dust. The intake was rerouted to the top of the building about a

week ago and appears to have reduced the amount of dust being drawn into the

system, Chosewood said. The agency is planning to hire an industrial cleaning

firm to help remove the dust that's already inside the building. The building

houses the CDC's Division of Laboratory Systems, which provides technical

assistance to labs across the country. It also has some animal facilities and

offices that deal with sexually transmitted diseases and chronic fatigue

syndrome.

Chosewood said that even though workers in Building 1 haven't complained as much

about construction dust, the agency also will be relocating its air intake to

the roof.

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