ton Building Ruled Safe by County Hired Doc

[Guest guest]

O.T. Wallace building ruled safe following tests Friday, February 1, 2002 BY ARLIE PORTEROf The Post and Courier Staff A ton County office building that some employees feared was making them sick is not unhealthy, a doctor hired by the county said Thursday. After several employees complained about conditions in the O.T. Wallace office building in downtown ton last summer, the county hired an industrial hygienist and doctor to investigate, according to county Administrator Roland Windham. Testing and samples collected in December showed that there were airborne fungi, or mold, in the building. Most of the mold, however, was removed with the cleaning of the building's heating and air conditioning system, according to the consultants' report released Thursday. While more cleaning is needed, mold does not pose a health threat, according to industrial hygienist R. Warren, of S & ME Inc. in Mount Pleasant. "For most individuals you would not have any problems with this building," Warren said, adding that dust and mold could still be a nuisance to those with respiratory problems. Barry Weissglass, an occupational health specialist who examined county employees, said he could not correlate health problems to exposure to building conditions. The building is safe to work in, he told members of County Council at a meeting Thursday. The county is renovating the building at Meeting and Broad streets. County offices in the building include the register of mesne conveyance, the auditor, and treasurer. Arlie Porter covers ton County. Contact him at porter@... or 937-5548. http://www.charleston.net/pub/archive/news/sc0201.htm