San Francisco Federal Building

[Guest guest]

I work in a Federal building in San Francisco. When I am working

inside the building for two days or more, I have all the symptoms of

SBS -- sneezing, bronchitis, headaches, fatigue, lack of

concentration, feel like I have a fever, catch colds easily, mucous

in nasal passages and depression because I feel sick all the time.

When I am outside of the building, my symptoms clear up and go away.

I asked my supervisor for permission to work at home or telecommute,

but the answer was NO. I had two doctors send letters to my

supervisor, but she will not let me work at home. I filed a

workmen's comp claim last year but it was denied for lack of medical

evidence. I was advised that I had to see an occupational disease

specialist and pay the medical costs out of my own pocket. I found a

doctor in Palo Alto who saw me twice and then said that she wanted to

transfer me to a doctor in San Francisco. She charged me over $400

and did not provide any treatment. She wanted to measure my lung

strength and had me blow into a machine. That cost me $121.00

Meanwhile I was complaining of chronic bronchitis from exposure to

some toxic chemical or polluted air inside our building. I should

also mention that the air intake vents are at street level so

the " fresh air " contains pollutants from vehicle exhausts. So I

finally got an appointment with the doctor in San Francisco at UCSF

who is the recognized sick building syndrome specialist in the Bay

Area. If anyone wants his name, please contact me at 415-559-0176.

He talked to me about my symptoms and agreed to submit a narrative

report to the Workmen's Comp Board. He charged $170 to write up this

report and I never got a copy of it. I requested a copy of the

report from the WC Board, but they would not provide a copy. So, I

did not receive the report or any treatment or a diagnosis. My bill

from UCSF was $626. AND my claim was denied for lack of medical

evidence. Does anyone out there know of a doctor who will diagnose

and treat sick building syndrome? I think I know the answer already

and I know how to treat my problem. I need to stay outside of that

building as much as possible in order to stay healthy. The

Government prides itself on providing a good retirement benefit but

that is not going to do me any good if I am totally disabled.