Re: EPA Workers Say Building Is Making Them Sick

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Allow me to be more succinct - The American Federation of
Government Employees

And let’s just say that I know a lot more about the situation
than what what was in the article.

RD

On 11/02/10, Sharon Kramer wrote:
> 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&37;c2&37;a0judith-mcconnell-nine-subordinate-san-
diego-
> judicuariesassisting-with-strategic-litigation-by-criminal-
> means-by-an-author-of-
&37;e2&37;80&37;9cenvironmental&37;e2&37;80&37;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....
>>>