Re: EPA Workers Say Building Is Making Them Sick

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RemDude,

I don't understand your message. Please explain. Did you read
this in the article?
*******************************

Oct 28, 2010 EPA workers say North Carolina building making
them sick despite attempts to fix problems

...In his note, Carter attributed this anxiety to “recent
documented health symptoms among some of our people, visible
mold growth” and other issues.

.....Mary Jane Selgrade, who retired in July as acting director
of the Experimental Toxicology Division of the Research
Triangle Park campus, says EPA was slow to respond to employee
concerns about air quality.

"Early on it seemed they cared more about the equipment than
the people," Selgrade said. "There was almost a sense of
apathy. They reacted slowly. It was frustrating for everybody.”

“They told people to go to the health unit when they had
problems,” she said. “But when they went, the health unit was
not very receptive, for a long time. People were very turned
off by that.”

One man in her unit, Selgrade said, reacted so badly to the
particles that he had to be rushed to the emergency room. His
hand had swollen up so much that hospital workers had to cut
off his wedding ring. “It impacted his career,” she said. “He
couldn’t go into his office.”

“You're having throat problems. Your eyes are watering. You're
having, possibly, difficult breathing,” said Silvia Saracco,
the president of the union that represents many of those
workers. “They want to come to work. They want to do their
jobs. And their health is being negatively affected. They're
having a hard time breathing."....

....EPA employees interviewed by the WRAL and the Workshop
asked not to be named, for fear of retaliation by EPA
officials....

October 2010 Article:
http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigations/toxic-
influence/story/epa-building-north-carolina-has-air-quality-
issues/

******************************
In January 2006, I moderated a US Senate Dem Staff Briefing
about the ill health effects from microbial contaminants in
water damaged buildings. I had panel of four scientists. It
was suppose to be six. The EPA would not permit Mary Jane
Selgrade or Laura Kolb to come at the last minute.
Neurotoxicologist, Ken Hudnell - who was our original requested
EPA panelist - was denied right off the bat.

January 2006 Invitation that went out to Senate staffers:
http://freepdfhosting.com/850dcdea10.pdf
(takes a minute to open)

*************************************

Which takes us right back to my October 25, 2010 complaints for
the San Diego Appellate Court's failure to stop strategic
litigation (twice) by the use of perjury on the issue of
malice - by an author for the US Chamber - used to retaliate
agaisnt me, for the same thing the EPA workers are fearful to
speak of over the mold issue. If left unaddressed ( ie, even US
Chamber authors are not above the law that governs criminal
perjury while strategically litigating)leaves
the "environmental" science of the US Chamber of Commerce in
control of our medical teaching facilities used to lend false
credibility to mislead the courts - adverse to the health and
safety of the public.

http://katysexposure.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/presiding-justice-
candidate%c2%a0judith-mcconnell-nine-subordinate-san-diego-
judicuariesassisting-with-strategic-litigation-by-criminal-
means-by-an-author-of-%e2%80%9cenvironmental%e2%80%9d-pol/

***********************

"...In his note, Carter attributed this anxiety to “recent
documented health symptoms among some of our people, visible
mold growth” and other issues.

....EPA employees interviewed by the WRAL and the Workshop
asked not to be named, for fear of retaliation by EPA
officials....

.....“You're having throat problems. Your eyes are watering.
You're having, possibly, difficult breathing,” said Silvia
Saracco, the president of the union that represents many of
those workers. “They want to come to work. They want to do
their jobs. And their health is being negatively affected.
They're having a hard time breathing."....

***************************

Sharon

On 11/02/10, Rem Dude wrote:
> Let’s see:
>
> The American Federation of Government Employees
> Many of the Issues Corrected
> The American Federation of Government Employees
> Rust Particulate Traced To Humidifiers
> American Federation of Government Employees
> HVAC Duct System Replaced
> American Federation of Government Employees
> Mold Tests - Insignificant
> American Federation of Government Employees
> EPA Working to Correct Other Problems
> American Federation of Government Employees
>
> The source of the problem is easy to see...
>
> RD
>
> On 11/01/10, Sharon wrote:
>> North Carolina building making them sick despite attempts
>> to fix problems
>>
>>
> http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigations/tox
>> ic-influence/story/epa-building-north-carolina-has-air-
>> quality-issues/
>>
>> ....“You're having throat problems. Your eyes are
> watering.
>> You're having, possibly, difficult breathing,” said Silvia
>> Saracco, the president of the union that represents many
> of
>> those workers. “They want to come to work. They want to do
>> their jobs. And their health is being negatively affected.
>> They're having a hard time breathing."
>>
>> A report done in 2009, written by an EPA contractor and
>> obtained by the Investigative Reporting Workshop,
>> highlights years of problems dating back to 2003. At that
>> time, laboratory staff reported "excessive indoor
>> particulate levels," i.e., toxic dust, some of which was
>> contaminated with metals. Since then, the report noted,
>> workers in two buildings reported symptoms, including
>> coughs, eye irritation and chest pain with inhalation
> after
>> a “dump” of particulate matter occurred. “Some individuals
>> had persistent symptoms for many days prior to eventual
>> resolution, and some had symptoms recur when they tried to
>> return to their usual laboratories,” the report said.
>>
>> The study focused chiefly on Building-B, which consists of
>> laboratories and office space. It concluded that the
>> complex did not have “Sick Building Syndrome,” but
>> acknowledged that some workers were likely suffering
>> from "Building-Related Symptoms." The report also called
>> for additional sampling of indoor air contaminants.
>>
>> EPA employees interviewed by the WRAL and the Workshop
>> asked not to be named, for fear of retaliation by EPA
>> officials. One said it's still common for small pieces of
>> rusted metal to fall out of the air and land on computer
>> keyboards. Surfaces in labs and offices often look like
>> they have a thick coating of dust. It isn’t typical office
>> dust, however. Tests showed the presence of metal and
> glass
>> fragments that were not found in the air outside of the
>> buildings.
>>
>> Inside, the air has been so bad that electrical components
>> of some lab equipment have corroded. The damaged equipment
>> was fixed quickly, but the cause of toxic particulates
>> contaminating the equipment remained elusive.
>>
>> Workers got little support from top officials
>>
>> MaryJane Selgrade, who retired in July as acting director
>> of the Experimental Toxicology Division of the Research
>> Triangle Park campus, says EPA was slow to respond to
>> employee concerns about air quality.
>>
>> "Early on it seemed they cared more about the equipment
>> than the people," Selgrade said. "There was almost a sense
>> of apathy. They reacted slowly. It was frustrating for
>> everybody.”
>>
>> She said workers who developed health problems were
>> encouraged to go to the EPA health unit, but they got
>> little support.
>>
>> “They told people to go to the health unit when they had
>> problems,” she said. “But when they went, the health unit
>> was not very receptive, for a long time. People were very
>> turned off by that.”
>>
>> One man in her unit, Selgrade said, reacted so badly to
> the
>> particles that he had to be rushed to the emergency room.
>> His hand had swollen up so much that hospital workers had
>> to cut off his wedding ring. “It impacted his career,” she
>> said. “He couldn’t go into his office.”
>>
>> Saracco, president of the American Federation of
> Government
>> Employees Local 3347, which represents the workers, said
>> the agency was slow to address the problems. "I think it
>> became a real issue when management realized it was
>> affecting the equipment," he said....
>>