Mold found at Wilmot State Prison

March 23, 2007

KVOA.com - Tucson,AZ,

A small portion of the state prison at Wilmot has been sealed off,

after mold was reported.

State prison officials say they found the mold in the Echo Unit.

They've sealed that portion of the unit off and say at this time,

it's not posing a threat to anyone.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began

investigating after they received a complaint from an employee at

the prison.

OSHA's Mark Norton says, " I can't go into detail about what the

complaint alleges, or where we're at with the investigation. "

Norton says they're looking into the problem.

" Depending on the severity of the allegations in the complaint, "

said Norton, " it can result in an on sight inspection at which point

if violations are found, we may issue citations if there are in fact

standards that cover those. "

Norton goes on to say that, when it comes to dealing with mold, they

run into some problems.

" There are no OSHA standards right now regarding mold issues or mold

limits, if you will. It does make it more difficult because you

don't have a set rule or a set guideline that Federal OSHA has set.

So, we have to look at it on a case-by-case basis, " Norton said.

Norton adds, " The fact that you see something or something is there,

doesn't mean that you`ve been overexposed and it doesn't necessarily

mean it constitutes a violation of any OSHA

regulations. "

The investigation is still in the preliminary stages.

There are different types of molds with different kinds of health

threats.

Prison officials and OSHA will not confirm what kind of mold was

found until the investigation is complete.

Recommended Posts