Air traffic controllers are against Metro mold plan

[Guest guest]

Air traffic controllers are against Metro mold plan

Union's experts say washing areas is not good enough

May 19, 2006

BY JEWEL GOPWANI

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20060519/BUSINESS05/605190388/1018/BUSINESS

The union that represents air traffic controllers is trying to stop

the Federal Aviation Administration from cleaning up black mold in

the air traffic control tower at Detroit Metro Airport next week,

saying the plan isn't sufficient and would worsen a mold problem

that has workers worried about their health.

The FAA said in an update to Congress this month that it is meeting

industry standards for the cleanup and mold experts and federal

health officials " have found no reason for there to be health

concerns related to working at the facility. "

This is the latest skirmish in a year and a half battle over whether

the FAA has taken the right steps to clean up mold in the control

tower, which apparently results from moisture seeping into the

building.

It's happening against the backdrop of contract talks between the

FAA and the union that have reached an impasse.

The union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says

the mold has led to health problems among controllers, who already

are held to strict standards for their medical condition on the job.

Vince Sugent, president of the controller's union Detroit local,

filed a lawsuit in December against the U.S. Department of

Transportation, saying the mold led to his asthma that was diagnosed

in the last year.

" I've never had asthma before in my life, " Sugent said.

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved worker compensation claims

for three workers in the tower.

Through his lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Sugent

has asked a judge to halt the FAA's plans to clean up mold in the

tower's elevator shaft, slated to start Tuesday.

During the cleanup, the FAA plans to clean the walls of the tower's

elevator shaft using vacuums equipped with HEPA filters and then use

a mixture of soap and water to clean mold from the shaft's walls,

said FAA spokeswoman Cory.

Court filings say a household dish detergent mixed with water would

be used for the cleanup. The union's experts contend that the walls

where mold has been found should be removed altogether, Sugent said,

so the mold doesn't come back.

The FAA stands by its plan.

" We have studied our options carefully and have hired experts in

this field to advise us. The mold in the tower shaft is on the

surface ... and is not active, " said Cory in an e-mail Thursday.

Jeff Bishop, an Dothan, Ala., technical adviser for the Institute of

Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, which sets

standards for mold cleanup and certifies companies to perform such

work, said washing the mold off of a surface, like the FAA has

planned, can meet industry standards.

But how effective it will be depends on the materials it uses and

how much mold has grown on the walls of the elevator shaft, said

Bishop, who does not work with the FAA or the union.

Typically when mold is being cleaned up, elevator doors are sealed

and household dish soap is not a good idea, Bishop said.

If soap isn't rinsed off properly, it " could serve as a food source

for future biological growth, " he said.

Court documents and Cory said the shaft's walls are made of

greenboard, which is more resistant to moisture than typical drywall.

" It depends on how soiled it is. It may be prudent to take it out, "

Bishop said. " If the structural integrity of the greenboard is

intact, and if it can be cleaned then it can be salvaged. "

Contact JEWEL GOPWANI at 313-223-4550 or jgopwani@....