Yukon union urges closure of mould-infected home

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Daily News Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Yukon union urges closure of mould-infected home

OHS Canada - Toronto,ON,Canada

OH & S News

Occupational Hygiene

By: Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News

November 12, 2007

http://www.ohscanada.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=76292 & issue=11132007

WHITEHORSE (Canadian OH & S News) -- A mould-infected youth home in

Whitehorse has prompted calls from the Yukon Employees Union to

remove staff and youths from the building.

" Some people have been off and on medicals throughout summer, " says

Laurie Butterworth, president of the Yukon Employees' Union. Health

complaints include respiratory problems and eye irritation.

The Children's Receiving Home houses about 16 staff and 12

residents, notes Butterworth.

The Property Management Agency of the Government of Yukon

commissioned an environmental and occupational hygiene consulting

firm, Theodor Sterling Associates, to conduct a mould investigation.

The inspection report, dated June 4, found visible mould growth in

various locations throughout the facility.

The report notes sewer leaks in the boys' bedroom at the basement

level, and mould growth under the sink in the main floor washroom,

which could be caused by a water leak in the plumbing.

Inspectors also found extensive fire damage to the walls in the

attic from a fire which, Butterworth says, took place years ago.

" It's not a good place to work, " says Butterworth, who thinks the

findings of the inspection were not deemed " bad enough " by the

authorities concerned to close the home.

" To me, this should have been number one priority on their plate, "

he says.

Recommendations to address mould problem

The consultant's report made several recommendations to address the

problem. These include identifying and correcting the water leakage

problem; opening up and cleaning the ceiling space in the storage

room and boiler room; removing the plywood in the stairwell and

replacing the drywall with mould on the surface; and removing all

fire-damaged materials in the attic.

A final round of cleaning with a HEPA vacuum, followed by a visual

inspection and air sampling, should be conducted to document the

effectiveness of clean-up procedures, the report says.

" In the Yukon Territory, there are no guidelines or regulation in

place that regulate any provisions for how to manage mould

contamination in buildings, " states the report.

As such, the report refers to the guidelines of WorkSafeBC's

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation which states that mould

concerns should be assessed through visual inspections of areas

suspected of having water-related problems. Air sampling is

an " additional tool, but should not be relied upon solely for an

investigation, " the report adds.

With regard to remediation of mould in buildings, WorkSafeBC

guidelines refer to the New York City Department of Health's

Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor

Environments, which emphasize the need to correct any moisture

infiltration source before remediation.

The New York protocol also states that any non-porous (metal, glass

and hard plastics) and semi-porous (wood and concrete) materials

that are structurally sound and visibly mouldy can be cleaned and re-

used. Porous materials such as ceiling tiles, wallpaper, insulation

and drywall with more than a small area of contamination should be

removed and discarded.

Doris Wurfbaum, a spokesperson for Communications, Highway and

Public Works for the Government of Yukon, says the Property

Management Agency is now analyzing several options and will advise

Health & Social Services to decide on a course of action for

remediation.

" The government works so slowly, " Butterworth says. " Right now, it's

sort of slipped on the back burner and they are waiting for all

kinds of jobs to be done while we still have kids in this place. "