Reports of Fungus Spur Discussion

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REBUILDING DOWNTOWN

Reports of Fungus Spur Discussion

By Cooke

STAFF WRITER

May 21, 2002

It's what the military might call collateral damage.

Two large buildings near Ground Zero that suffered extensive damage in the

wake of the attack on the World Trade Center are reported to be infested

with fungi. And that has prompted discussion of what measures can be

undertaken to clean them up - or whether they ultimately might be destroyed.

Two engineers associated with the buildings say tearing them down may be

unnecessary: That the 1907 building at 90 West St. is being cleared of

debris and will be rehabilitated for normal use. And the Bankers Trust

building at 130 Liberty St., while in need of extensive repairs, also may be

spared.

The 25-story building at 90 West St. does not appear to have a severe fungus

problem, said Weinstein, president of LZA Associates, an engineering

and architectural group that is part of Thornton Tomasetti Group Inc.,

engineers in Manhattan. " The owners are working...to restore the building, "

he said. He estimated the cost at between $60 million and $70 million.

The 39-story One Bankers Trust Plaza structure indeed may have fungal

infestation, he said, but he anticipates that repair is not unfeasible. No

cost estimate was available.

Hennessy III, chairman and chief executive of the Syska Hennessy Group

Inc. in Manhattan, agreed: " To the best of my knowledge, they will not be

torn down. "

The fungal growths, being described as " black mold, " have been reported to

be on walls and other interior surfaces as a result of long-term soaking

from fire-control sprinklers and exposure to outside elements. The

glass-clad Bankers Trust building was damaged when a large chunk of steel

hit and ripped open a nine-story gash in its facade. The building at 90 West

St. was damaged by flying debris and by fire, and then soaked by the

sprinkler system and, subsequently, rain.

After such exposure, molds that are naturally present find conditions

conducive to growth. If the surfaces stay wet long enough, growth can spread

across walls and into places such as air conditioning ducts. There is no

unanimity among fungus experts - mycologists - about the potential hazards

of such a mold. Most of the focus is on a fungus called Stachybotrys.

It is one of hundreds of kinds of fungi, many of them black, and the

majority aren't dangerous. Stachybotrys, a normal inhabitant of the soil, is

commonly identified as the fungus whose spores take up residence in

buildings when porous surfaces stay soaked for several days.

According to mycologist Janet Gallup, in Escondido, Calif., the actual

danger is far smaller than perceived. She said that while extensive exposure

to the mold or its spores can cause ailments, most people are not bothered

unless they are already weak.

" Asthmatics and mold-sensitive people can have worse health if they live in

a moldy place, " Gallup said.

Some fungi produce mycotoxins, potent chemicals that keep other microbes at

bay. The best illustration is in a petri dish, where a growing mold sample

may clear its surroundings of other molds or bacteria by secreting a toxin.

It is an original form of chemical warfare.

ph Laquatra Jr., professor of design and environmental analysis at

Cornell University, added that " some people who are sensitive " to

mycotoxins - the fungal poisons - because of allergies or asthma " are going

to have a problem " in heavily infested areas. " And, he said, " a large

exposure [to fungal toxins] can cause a nonallergic person to become

sensitized and develop allergies. "

Exposure to such molds isn't a new phenomenon; they have always been

present, often in large amounts. If one detects a musty smell in a basement,

it means some mold is there and it's airborne.

" We've had molds around us for thousands of years, " said Estelle Levetin, a

biologist at the University of Tulsa. But the problem of molds " recently

appeared to get worse because we've tightened our buildings " for energy

conservation " and trapped more moisture " inside. It's the trapped moisture

that " spurs fungal growth. "

Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc.