Health concerns about mold increase in wake of May floods at State House

[Guest guest]

" You mention mold and nobody wants to sign off on it that you've got a

problem, " he said...

Pappas and Avant said the EPA informed them there was not much that it

could do...

Henry Slack of the Atlanta office of the EPA visited the State House in

June. He offered generic advice to try to improve the work environment,

according to legislative staff...

Carl Terry, spokesman with District IV of the EPA that covers the

Southeast, said Slack was in Montgomery to attend a meeting and went to the

State

House to offer advice. The visit was not an official inspection and Slack

did not write a report, he said. " ...

[ sic, a thought comes to my mind: " No good deed goes unpunished " ]

Health concerns about mold increase in wake of May floods at State House

_http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100207/NEWS02/2070325/1009/Health\

-concerns-about-mold-increase-in-wake-of-May-floods-at-State-House_

(http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100207/NEWS02/2070325/1009/Health\

-concerns-about-mold-increase-in-wake-of-May-floods-at-State-House)

By Sebastian Kitchen • February 7, 2010

Dianne Harper's doctor attributes the two painful surgeries on her sinuses

to her 18 years of work in the Alabama State House.

The surgeries included scraping, a more than three-hour procedure to

remove fungus the doctor compared to the consistency of soft serve ice cream,

and later putting in a stent to try to deter future growth.

" He said he hadn't seen anything quite like it, " Harper said.

She said the doctor attributes the fungus to the environment and is 99

percent certain it is from the State House. He even asked her if she could be

moved to a different building.

Harper is not the only employee who has voiced her concern about the

possible adverse effects on her health to the men who manage the Alabama House

of Representatives and Senate on a daily basis. Those men said they also are

concerned about the working environment.

A 'sick building'

" I think it's a sick building, " said Greg Pappas, the clerk of the House,

who manages the operations and employees on a daily basis. " If you look

behind these wall coverings you can see mold and mildew. "

Many air vents in the building, in offices and in the House and Senate

chambers, have mildew or other growth on and around them.

Some offices, including Pappas', have damage from water that has come

through the ceiling or the windows.

In some offices, including the room used by the press on the first floor,

the wallpaper is peeling back and growth can be seen on the wall.

While most people said there were problems there before the major flooding

that hit central Alabama in May, they say those problems have intensified

since the basement, first floor and other parts of the building flowed with

water, forcing the Legislature to move across the street to the historic

chambers at the Capitol for the first time since the 1980s.

Pappas said doctors for two employees in the House of Representatives who

have serious health problems attributed those to the environment at their

work. He was talking about Harper and another employee, whose doctor also

suggested that he not work in the building.

" People ought to be concerned about it, " he said. " I don't think it's a

healthy building. "

Harper took swabs of her office and the office next door, which is used by

Rep. Greg Canfield.

She showed the Montgomery Advertiser the results of the tests, which were

performed by the laboratory at Hospital and Clinic Inc., and at the

state laboratory.

Those results showed two different mold species, penicillium and

cladosporium. Penicillium is a common mold that can produce toxins and

cladosporium

is also a common fungus that can be a significant allergen, according to

several Web sites.

Harper, a clerk for committees including the legislative contract review

committee, said she is concerned about the long-term effects on her and

other employees. She is also concerned about the regular CAT scans that are

performed on her to see whether the fungus growth is coming back.

20 health complaints

Harper has collected written comments from 20 of her coworkers who have

health issues that they attribute to working at the State House. She plans to

submit those to the Legislative Building Authority, which oversees the

facility, " so it is not just hearsay and they have it on paper. "

Harper said more people have approached her with their stories, but they

are reluctant to speak up out of fear of retribution.

State Sen. Bedford, D-ville, said he has concerns about the

health of the building and the structural soundness of the State House,

which he said appears to be aging much faster after the massive flooding in

May.

" This is not the healthy building the private sector or public sector

would want, " Bedford said. But, he added, there is not public support to build

a new government building.

Staff for the House and Senate talked to the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, had someone from the University of North Alabama examine the

building, and talked with an official with the Division of Respiratory Disease

Studies at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Pappas said the health department does not have a division to handle

similar issues.

The staff said there was not a conclusive standard to determine the air

quality in the building. Dave Avant, administrative assistant to the

secretary of the Senate, said people have different tolerance levels and there

is

no barometer of what will make people sick.

" It's hard to get anybody to come in and say it's a sick building, " Pappas

said.

Don Ladner, administrative assistant to the clerk of the House, thought

that might be because of legal concerns or issues with federal standards.

" You mention mold and nobody wants to sign off on it that you've got a

problem, " he said.

Another Senate official, Dowe Littleton, said they were told that there is

not a way to determine whether the employees are sick because of air

quality at work or because of conditions elsewhere, such as at their homes.

Little recourse

Pappas and Avant said the EPA informed them there was not much that it

could do.

Henry Slack of the Atlanta office of the EPA visited the State House in

June. He offered generic advice to try to improve the work environment,

according to legislative staff.

Carl Terry, spokesman with District IV of the EPA that covers the

Southeast, said Slack was in Montgomery to attend a meeting and went to the

State

House to offer advice. The visit was not an official inspection and Slack

did not write a report, he said.

" We have no statutory rights with regards to mold, " Terry said. " We have

no enforcement program with regards to that. "

He said it was obvious there had been flooding in the building and there

was a serious moisture problem.

" That results in problems with mold and mildew, " Terry said. " A mold

problem is common with a moisture problem. "

Slack, he said, shared the EPA's Web site address and toll-free number for

more information.

" When moisture problems occur and mold growth results, building occupants

may begin to report odors and a variety of health problems, such as

headaches, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, allergic reactions, and

aggravation of asthma symptoms; all of these symptoms could potentially be

associated with mold exposure, " according to the EPA Web site.

" All molds have the potential to cause health effects. Molds produce

allergens, irritants, and in some cases, toxins that may cause reactions in

humans. The types and severity of symptoms depend, in part, on the types of

mold present, the extent of an individual's exposure, the ages of the

individuals, and their existing sensitivities or allergies. "

Littleton said they have followed Slack's suggestions that were

financially feasible.

" We've done all we can, " he said. " We have followed what the expert asked

us to do. "

Littleton said there is not the political will to spend the money to make

the capital improvements that would be needed, but that they have done what

they could to improve the environment, including putting dehumidifiers in

offices and in the Senate chamber.

Without a national standard for air quality in the work place, " we are

doing the best we can, " Littleton said.

Pappas said there are 19 dehumidifiers in offices on the fifth and sixth

floors controlled by the House.

Harper has had the airflow, heating and cooling, shut off into her office.

There is also a dehumidifier that runs just outside of her door.

Solutions expensive

Littleton talked to -Ganser with the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health on the phone. He said she suggested vendors the

state could hire.

" It is very expensive, " he said.

Ladner, who said he has problems with nasal drainage when he is in the

building, said the environment in the building is perfect for mold because

there are leaks, have been at least two floods, and there is vinyl wallpaper

that does not allow the walls to breathe.

" You can pull it off and see it, " he said of the mold.

Ladner said he was told by experts that people cannot get rid of the mold.

Top staff at the House and Senate feel they have done due diligence, but

do not know where to turn. They also know they are working in an aging

building, which was originally built to house the transportation department in

1963 and has old ductwork.

Avant said they tried to find something concrete they could give to

lawmakers to demonstrate to them the possible effects on employees, " but you

can't. "

Bedford said he has heard from a number of employees. He said much of the

damage from airborne elements comes from accumulation.

Bedford said the Legislative Building Authority needs to look at health

issues and consider a way to help, such as increasing ventilation or

implementing a mold prevention program.

Rep. Laird, D-Roanoke, has introduced a bill that would allow the

authority to sell bonds, to enter into an agreement with the Retirement

Systems of Alabama, to hire personnel, to connect to the Capitol, and to take

control of some streets and parking lots in the Capitol complex. Laird is

chairman of the building authority.

Ladner said he and Pappas would likely not be in their positions by the

time a new State House was built.

" For people in the building all the time, they have a right to work in a

safe, healthy environment, " Ladner said.

Some lawmakers have talked about building a new State House because of

concerns with the current facility, but a lot of those concerns were focused

on public access with small meeting rooms.

There does not appear to be the political will, with an election looming

and the state struggling financially due to the recession, to build a new

State House.

" We think we owe it to employees to offer a safe environment, " Avant said.

But, he said, they are stuck in the building and the options are limited.

" We don't have another place to put anybody, " Littleton said.

*******************************************

ON A SECOND AND CLOSELY RELATED MATTER: FEMA, EPA, CIAQ, GAO and MONEY:

_https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1901/1/_

(https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1901/1/)

EPA CIAQ: GAO Mold Audit Workgroup doesn't report in

(https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/index2.php?option=com_content & do_pdf=1 & id=1901)

(https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/index2.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=1901 & \

pop=1 & page=0 & Itemid=1)

(https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/index2.php?option=com_content & task=emailform & id=\

1901 & itemid=1)

What is going on at the EPA?

Check out FEMA's expert witnesses that they are paying with OUR tax

dollars to defeat liability for claims of illness within citizens exposed in

their Katrina trailers:

Authors of the US Chamber of Commerce Mold Statement of 2003.

_http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/FEMA07md1873/Orders/list8305.pdf_

(http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/FEMA07md1873/Orders/list8305.pdf)

Pg 4:

FR 30 Coreen Robbins, M.H.S., Ph.D., C.I.H.

FEMA Expert

Industrial Hygienist

Expert Witness May Call

FR 32 Bruce J. Kelman, Ph.D

FEMA Expert

Toxicologist - Mold

FEMA's representatives to the EPA's purported CIAQ Mold Working Group:

" DHS: Wixted and Chawaga (FEMA) " is listed on the group.

So how does that work in the public interest to send consistent messaging

from Federal agencies regarding mold induced illnesses as stipulated by the

GAO?

_U.S. GAO - Indoor Mold: Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects

and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal ._

(http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-980)

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency

Committee on Indoor Air Quality to help articulate and guide research

priorities on indoor mold across relevant federal agencies, coordinate

information sharing on ongoing and planned research activities among agencies,

and

provide information to the public on ongoing research activities to better

ensure that federal research on the health effects of exposure to indoor

mold is effectively addressing research needs and efficiently using scarce

federal resources.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to

this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

____________________________________

Recommendation: The Administrator, EPA, should use the Federal Interagency

Committee on Indoor Air Quality to help relevant agencies review their

existing guidance to the public on indoor mold--considering the audience and

purpose of the guidance documents--to better ensure that it sufficiently

alerts the public, especially vulnerable populations, about the potential adv

erse health effects of exposure to indoor mold and educates them on how to

minimize exposure in homes. The reviews should take into account the best

available information and

ensure that the guidance does not conflict among agencies.

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

*******************************************

And BACK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

" Pappas and Avant said the EPA informed them there was not much that it

could do. "

Do about what? Conflicts of interest in the Federal government adverse to

the health and safety of the American public??????

Dr. Ken Hudnell summed the matter up best (although he was not able to

stay on the phone for 3 hours with the other 32 people, waiting to be heard by

Dave Rowson of the EPA last week - who left the CIAQ meeting when people

did finally speak at 4pm):

" I am Dr. Ken Hudnell. I served as a neurotoxicologist at EPA for 23

years. My focus for the last dozen years was on biotoxins and associated human

illness, including fungal mycotoxin-induced illness. The Federal Interagency

Committee on IAQ is needed to ensure Federal agencies give consistent

information on mold-related illness, enable one group to be aware of all

Federal efforts on the topic and fill any research gaps, and reduce duplication

of effort. It is hard to imagine that some people still do not recognize the

need for stronger interagency coordination. How else can our country take

a cohesive and comprehensive approach toward solutions for mold-related

illness and other major challenges that we face?

______________________________

H Hudnell, PhD

105 Serrano Way

Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Is someone going to have to sue the Federal government for racketeering to

make this deceit adverse to the interest of US citizens STOP!???

Sharon Kramer

(http://www.solarbee.com/science/)