Video - Moldy Building Making People Sick

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Moldy Building Making People Sick

WCTV - Tallahassee,FL*

Jul 17, 2008

Email Address: Roman.Lillie@...

http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/25598244.html

Employees say the Department of Revenue Building on Blountstown

Highway is infested with mold. That building holds more than 200

employees.

One former employee says, just going inside the building would

trigger his asthma symptoms. " Within 2 hours I'd start having hay

fever attacks and also I'll be blowing my nose and nose congestion

and all that. And then normally within 4 hours I'd have to start

taking the Albuterol inhaler, " says Covenant.

And he says, he's not the only one. " They have migraines, they have

colds, sinus attacks you know. A bunch of different things but these

are common ailments that are definitely manifest by mold

infestation, " says Covenant.

The Department of Revenue hired a consultant to see if mold was

actually present in the building. The consultant confirmed what some

say they already knew.

" Unfortunately we don't know how much mold causes illness and how

much mold is safe, so the public health approach we take, is no

amount of mold in a building is acceptable, " says Krause of

Indoor Air Solutions.

The report shows some of the mold and water stains were clearly

visible but other evidence was hidden in air ducts. " They're not

immediate exposure concerns to people as they walk by, however there

is a potential for exposure. "

Officials from the Department of revenue say they're still

evaluating what to do next. " We are also looking at relocating our

employees because of course their health and safety is of the utmost

concern to us, " says Watters, spokesperson for the Department

of Revenue.

But some say that's not good enough, " I don't want them to consider,

I want them to move these people out. Because these people are in

danger for their physical health, " adds Covenant.

Officials say they plan to make a decision on relocation within a

week.

But they say they plan to install air filters on Friday, until they

finalize a more permanent plan. They've also scheduled a more in

depth survey of the building and the mold which will begin in the

next few weeks.

Some have also expressed concern about the second floor of the

building. The second floor is unused but many say the concrete is

cracked in places.

The consultant who evaluated the mold indicated, Krause says,

the concrete is sitting on top of a steel, base so it doesn't seem

it can fall below. But he added that it should probably be evaluated

by a structural engineer.