Senate to relocate St. Croix offices in preparation for mold removal

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Senate to relocate St. Croix offices in preparation for

mold removal

By CHRISTINE LETT

Wednesday, May 3rd 2006

Daily News Photos by CRISTIAN SIMESCU

head, center,

an aide to Sen. Terrence , speaks during a

meeting

Tuesday afternoon about mold in the V.I.

Legislature Building

in Frederiksted.

ST. CROIX - Environmental Concepts Inc. will soon begin

to clean up

areas of the Legislature Building in Frederiksted where

high

concentrations of mold have been detected, Senate

President Lorraine

Berry said on Tuesday. First, the scope of work must be

determined

and some offices relocated.

Berry said determining the scope of the work would take

seven to 10

days, and after that the cleanup would immediately

follow.

Berry made the decision after she, other senators and

legislative

workers met with Environmental Concepts Inc.'s microbial

remediation

specialist Verstraaten on Tuesday to discuss to

findings of

random air quality testing conducted in February. The

testing was

done after legislative workers complained of the poor

air quality in

the building.

Ideally, good indoor air quality has concentrations of

mold spores

below 400 counts per cubic meter and fiber

concentrations of less

than 1,000 fibers per cubic meter.

According to Verstraaten's findings, 34 mold samples

were taken of

air quality at the building and analyzed for mold spores

and fungi

and other airborne particles.

Certified microbial remediation specialist

Verstraaten,

left, discusses his analysis with Sen. Pedro

Encarnacion and

Javois.

Of the 34 samples, 31 showed total spore counts at or

above the

acceptable level. The highest concentrations were found

on the

second floor in Sen. Terrence 's office - 1,320

counts per

cubic meter - and in his staff's office with 540 counts

per cubic

meter. The Legislature's business office on the lower

level had 990

counts of mold per cubic meter.

Environmental Concepts also found high counts of

cladasporium in

's office - 1,110 counts per cubic meter. The

normal range is

within 50 counts per cubic meter. Cladasporium is a

known cause of

airway allergens, the report said.

Plans are under way to move 's office and the

business office

to allow for the cleanup.

In other parts of the building, Environmental Concepts

also found

small quantities - between 30 and 120 counts per cubic

meter - of

stachybotrys, a greenish-black fungus that grows on

water-damaged

materials such as ceiling insulation, wallpaper, wood

and sheet rock

and that can be found in dust from contaminated building

materials.

According to Verstraaten's report, " stachybotrys should

not be

present in any form. "

The most dangerous species of the mold is called

stachybotrys

chartarum. Prolonged exposure to mycotoxins produced by

the fungus

causes cold or flu-like symptoms, memory loss, muscle

aches,

diarrhea, dermatitis, and, in extreme cases, is often

reported as

cancer and hemorrhaging within the lungs, the report

said.

Stachybotrys chartarum was found in the offices of Sen.

and Sen. Craig Barshinger and the Legal

Counsel's office. It

was also found in bulk samples of ceiling tiles and

drywall,

according to the report.

Verstraaten wrote in the report that he is not a medical

doctor and

the information " should not be construed as medical

advice. " The

findings indicated only that fungi was detected in the

facility and

that it could pose " a very serious health risk over

time. "

High counts of fibrous particles also were found in most

of the

offices tested - ranging from 1,020 to 2,070 fibers per

cubic meter.

High counts of the fibers cause red eye, itching and

respiratory

problems.

Verstraaten said a thorough cleaning - vacuuming and

mopping -

should remove the fibers.

He told legislative workers on Tuesday that the

detection of the

stachybotrys and other mold were at low levels and did

not pose an

immediate health risk and that the building is safe to

work in.

But despite Verstraaten's assurances and the news that

remediation

work would soon begin, legislative workers - several of

whom said

they experienced mold and fiber-related illnesses - said

they felt

unsafe in the building.

Several workers complained of respiratory ailments -

coughing,

sneezing and difficulty breathing - and questioned

whether they

should be asked to return to work at the Frederiksted

building.

Berry said that based on the Environmental Concepts'

report, the

levels of mold are not alarming and do not warrant

sending workers

home.

" I wouldn't allow any employee to be in a building that

is not

healthy, " she said.

The Legislature's St. Croix headquarters has been in the

government-owned Lagoon Street Complex since 1993.

According to

Daily News records, before the Legislature moved to the

complex,

parts had been condemned by the federal Occupational

Safety and

Health Administration. Extensive renovations were needed

to prepare

the offices for occupation.