NY's City health director defends Hart Building (senate) safety

[Guest guest]

(why do I not believe the top officials over the employees? just a hunch,

perhaps. )

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20020215-10510526.htm

February 15, 2002

City health director defends Hart safety

By Guy

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The District's top health officials yesterday said people should not

jump to conclusions about the overall safety of the Hart Senate Office

Building because of health complaints by employees who have returned to work

since the building was rid of lingering anthrax spores.

D.C. Health Director Ivan C.A. Walks said employees' complaints of

headaches and burning eyes and throats are most likely caused by new paint

and carpets in the fumigated Hart building.

He also pointed out that events since September 11 have been extremely

emotionally taxing, which may contribute to a feeling of illness among those

working closest to the action - such as congressional staffers and postal

employees.

The Hart building, which houses offices for half of the U.S. Senate's

100 members, was shut down for months after an anthrax-packed letter was

opened last October in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle,

South Dakota Democrat.

During the cleanup, which ended with the building's reopening on Jan.

22, the Environmental Protection Agency spent more than $14 million on

contracts with technicians who applied a heavy dose of toxic chlorine

dioxide gas in the office and chlorine dioxide liquid throughout the

building.

Dr. Walks said yesterday morning on WTOP radio's " Ask the Doctor " that

specialists are certain anthrax is gone from the building, and they are

confident the chlorine dioxide has been completely extracted.

There is no evidence linking the ill health of congressional staffers

with any residual chlorine dioxide in the Hart building, said Ted Gordon,

the chief operating officer of the D.C. Health Department.

" During the decontamination, they stripped this building naked, " Mr.

Gordon said in a telephone interview. " When it was done, they laid down new

carpet and fresh coats of paint throughout. What they didn't do is aerate

the building sufficiently, " he said, adding, " It is not uncommon for people

to develop chemical sensitivities to new paint and new carpet. "

Mr. Gordon said if the decontamination effort had taken place anywhere

but Capitol Hill, the normal procedure would have been to " let the building

fully bake out. " But officials weren't able to do that with the Hart

building because " there has been a full court press on by the Senate to get

the building reopened as quickly as possible, " he said.

Disagreements over the origin of the symptoms escalated last week when

EPA national ombudsman J. said he believes the cause is

contaminants, such as hydrochloric acid, that came from spontaneous chemical

reactions when technicians liberally spread chlorine dioxide through the

Hart building.

Sen. E. Grassley, Iowa Republican and a ranking member of the

Senate Finance Committee, said 50 congressional staffers in the Hart

building complained of the symptoms during the first 13 days after it was

reopened. On Monday, he requested that the Office of Compliance investigate

the health complaints.

Additionally, a Senate task force was set two weeks ago by the office

of Sergeant-at-Arms Alfonso Lenhardt after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California

Democrat, wrote to Mr. Daschle that members of her staff were suffering the

symptoms. Some congressional staffers, who wished to remain anonymous, said

the task force told them the symptoms were probably the result of the flu or

the common cold.

However, the situation has not deterred the U.S. Postal Service from

pushing forward with arrangements to use the same contractor and chlorine

dioxide techniques to decontaminate the District's Brentwood mail center.

Mr. Gordon said lessons learned during the cleanup of the Hart building

are being applied at Brentwood. " This situation is evolving, " he said.

" We're looking into all of the factors. "

Brentwood closed in late October after two postal employees who worked

there died of exposure to anthrax spores that remained in the building after

it processed the letter that later was opened in Mr. Daschle's office.

Postal Service spokeswoman Deborah Yackley said officials are making

progress in preparing the building for chlorine dioxide fumigation.

" Every little crack and crevice of the building has been sealed, and

crews have been doing spot cleaning with chlorine dioxide liquid inside the

building, " she said.