Inspectors seek mold in two more state buildings

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January 18, 2002

Inspectors seek mold in two more state buildings

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Two more state buildings are being checked for mold after

workers reported signs of water damage and apparent growths of the fungus.

The buildings are the Reno office of the Division of Parole and Probation

and a building in Carson City that houses the state Occupational Safety and

Health division and the state Risk Management office.

In recent years, state officials have dealt with toxic mold problems in the

Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

library.

Last month, workers in the Reno office of the State Welfare Division had to

be relocated because of toxic black mold in the walls and ceilings of the

leased building.

Sue Dunt, state risk manager, said her office has been handling mold cases

as they come up, but officials would rather find problems early. Since there

are no accepted standards for mold exposure in buildings, the state will

have to develop its own, she said.

" We're working with five prominent industrial hygiene firms to build a

consensus about how to take samples and how to interpret them, " she said.

" We want to develop a mold-testing protocol for the state, which would be a

first in the nation.

" Right now we're reacting to complaints of possible mold. We'd like to get

ahead of that and be proactive. "

Mold causes illness

Uncontrolled water leaks that saturate organic building materials such as

ceiling tiles or sheet rock create mediums for mold growth. Dry spores can

get into the air and into the respiratory systems of the occupants.

Current theories point to chemicals, called mycotoxins, and spore wall

components called glucans, that may be the actual agents of disease, doctors

said.

In the Parole and Probation office in Reno, inspectors said water-stained

ceiling tiles will be replaced, Dunt said. She said air samples in the

building showed no mold spores but more air samples and surface samples are

planned. The roof will be inspected, she said.

At the building in Carson City, mold has been discovered in the basement.

" We believe it's the result of the 1997 flood, " Dunt said. " The good news is

that the basement doesn't communicate with other areas of the building.

There's no way for the mold to get to the occupied spaces. "

Dunt said the state is working with two prominent environmental disease

experts to develop standards for mold investigations and decide on

preventive measures.

Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal