Testing reveals mould on hospital records

November 19, 2008

BY STEPHEN RYAN

19/11/2008 4:00:00 AM

Newcastle Herald - Newcastle,Australia

mould-on-hospital-records/1363828.aspx

TESTING of Hunter Hospital's medical records storage centre at

Cardiff showed mould concentrations almost 50 times greater than

World Health Organisation standards.

A report prepared for hospital management and obtained by The Herald

makes a number of recommendations to prevent further illness among

staff members.

About 30 medical records employees walked off the job last Friday

and didn't return until Monday night after hospital management

agreed to a number of measures including providing staff with

goggles, gowns, gloves and masks.

Some staff have complained of rashes, respiratory problems and

chronic headaches.

One employee has been off work for eight months and five left last

week.

The report said a sample collected at a Cardiff storage facility

contained 7000 colony forming units of mould per cubic metre of air.

The World Health Organisation's guideline level for outdoor air is a

reading of 144.

The hospital's facility manager was told in an email, obtained by

The Herald, by the company conducting the testing that " our research

indicates that these mould levels are most likely the cause of the

skin and eye irritation that has been/is being experienced by some

of your staff " .

Di Rienzo, Hunter-New England Health Area Service's

operations director for acute networks, said there was no guarantee

the mould was " the root cause of the problem " .

The hospital would embark on copying contaminated records and

destroying the old files and staff who experience symptoms would be

referred to the hospital's emergency department, Mr Di Rienzo said.

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