Duplin DA’s office still closed due to mold

[Guest guest]

Duplin DA's office still closed due to mold

NC

By Berendt

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 1:45 PM EDT

http://www.clintonnc.com/articles/2006/08/24/news/top_stories/topstor

y63.txt

KENANSVILLE — The Duplin County District Attorney's Office has been

closed down for more than a month, and the county manager said it

could remain that way for at least another 30 days while the needed

modifications are made to rid the office of mold.

After getting reports from an epidemiologist and a mechanical

engineer, Duplin County Manager Mike Aldridge said in a recent

interview that the culprit to the mold and mildew is a combination

of a faulty air conditioning system and the vinyl wallpaper covering

the office walls.

He explained that the existing air conditioning system controls

temperature but does not have a function through which the humidity

can also be regulated. With vinyl wallpaper, the impending humidity

in the office and subsequent mold was essentially trapped inside the

walls, Aldridge said.

" I expect that, with the repair work we have to do, it will be about

four to six weeks before they're back in, " he said.

Mold samples were taken by workers with the N.C. Division of Public

Health's Epidemiology department the week before the office was

closed last month and District Attorney Dewey Hudson said that mold

was detected both on and inside the walls. After giving a report of

his findings, the epidemiologist recommended that the county secure

a mechanical engineer to address the humidity problem, Aldridge said.

The county manager noted that county staff was " following up " on the

mechanical engineer's recommendations.

One of the recommendations was " reheating " the office, which means

running the building's air conditioning and boiler systems

simultaneously. That was attempted, but Aldridge said that trying

that has revealed a few notable downsides, the main one being that

it has proved to be " very energy intensive " with both systems

operating.

It has also worked a little too well, with nearly all the moisture

being taken out of the building, resulting in stacks of brittle

papers rather than damp ones. " It's very effective at reducing

moisture, but too effective, " Aldridge noted.

The other recommendation the mechanical engineer made was to strip

the current vinyl wallpaper, which has worked only to cause high

humidity and trap moisture. The engineer noted that the wallpaper

should be stripped and the walls recovered with latex paint.

The measures now being taken have come after Hudson shut down the

office, following years of employee sicknesses.

For several years, Hudson has said, employees in the Duplin office

have suffered sicknesses due to mold, mildew and excessive humidity.

" My employees suffer from congestion, migraine headaches, skin

abrasions, sinus infections, sore throat and irritated eyes, " Hudson

stated upon announcing the closing of the office July 20. He called

the situation " unbearable. "

" I need to find a facility where my employees will not be sick, "

Hudson said at the time. " My immediate concern is the immediate

welfare of my employees — something we can do in the short term

until we find a long-term solution. "

Several employees complained of sinus infections and migraine

headaches, even others with rashes on their bodies. The heat of the

summer acted only to compound the problem, the district attorney

said.

Employees at the Duplin County D.A.'s Office have been working out

of Onslow and Sampson counties since the office closed last month.

Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 21, or by email

at sicrime@....