Mold closes Reno welfare office

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Mold closes Reno welfare office

By X. Mullen Jr.

Reno Gazette-Journal

Friday August 3rd, 2001

About 100 employees at Reno's state welfare building on Ninth Street will be

relocated so workers can tear up walls and ceilings to search for toxic mold

that has caused illness there, state officials said Thursday.

In addition, the welfare office on South Rock Boulevard in Sparks and

several other state buildings in Las Vegas - including the Child and Family

Services Campus - are being investigated for mold.

Officials said it's too early to tell how severe those other problems are,

but workers at the 1350 E. Ninth St. offices will be relocated as soon as

possible. They said they are looking for alternative office space.

" When people are getting sick and you remove them from the source of the

mold, they get better, " said Dent, state risk manager. " That's what we

'll do there and we'll offer medical evaluations to all the employees. We'll

get this sorted out. "

No welfare clients have reported health problems caused by the mold, and the

relocation is not expected to interrupt their services, officials said.

This year, many private residences and public buildings in northern Nevada

have dealt with toxic mold problems, including the infant ward at St. 's

Regional Medical Center and more than a dozen Washoe County School District

buildings.

Even though Nevada is a dry state, people who ignore plumbing problems or

roof leaks may be asking for a mold problem that could affect their health,

environmental medicine experts say. " This is an issue people need to be made

aware of, " said Stetzenbach, director of the department of

microbiology at the Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada,

Las Vegas.

" They don't have to panic, but they do have to manage the indoor environment

appropriately. Don't ignore water intrusions, but don't over-react either. "

The bottom line is to promptly repair water leaks within 24 to 48 hours, she

said. She said water-saturated materials should be removed and replaced.

The Reno welfare office mold investigation began early this year after

employees reported headaches and other symptoms of illness. Environmental

investigators found toxic mold spores in the leased building. The state did

an employee health survey and tests which revealed mold spores.

Two types of toxic mold - stachybotrys and aspergillus - were found. Both

can cause respiratory illnesses and other health problems. Subsequent tests

showed spores in various parts of the 20,000-square-foot offices and

employees continued to report headaches and respiratory symptoms, Dunt said.

Dr. Craner of Verdi, who is board-certified in occupational medicine,

said symptoms of mold-related illnesses generally disappear when people get

away from the source of the mold. He said the employees will be temporarily

relocated until the mold is found and professionally removed.

" The building has a history of intermittent water leaks from various

sources, " Craner said. " The problem is related to the past water damage. I

think it has to do with residual mold spores rather than current mold

growth. "

Documents, computers and anything else employees need to do their jobs will

have to be decontaminated so that the mold does not spread to the new

offices.

" There's a massive amount of paperwork there, so it's a big logistical

problem, " Craner said. " We'll be doing a formal epidemiological assessment

of the employees very soon. "

He said the state is taking a very active and responsible stance in dealing

with the mold problem in its buildings.

" They are bringing in appropriate resources and attacking this as

aggressively as they can, " he said.

Dunt and Craner said there have been no reports of the welfare office's

clients being affected by the mold. They said that's not unusual.

" Clients would have only a very short-term exposure, " Craner said.

State officials said they learned a lesson after the Grant Sawyer Building,

Nevada's largest government office building, opened in 1995. There,

occupants complained of various respiratory and " allergic " symptoms. They

also complained of chronic fatigue, headaches and other illnesses. " We

learned a lot of lessons in that building, " Dent said.

Stetzenbach and Craner conducted an epidemiological investigation of

occupants' medical problems and a microbiological investigation. Their

studies revealed stachybotrys mold spores on water-damaged ceiling tiles

throughout the building as a result of defective heating valves.

TIPS ABOUT MOLD:

* Fix any leaky pipes right away.

* Smell your house for the pungent aroma of molds and mildew.

* Watch for discoloration of walls, carpet, ceiling tiles and other building

materials. Newer homes aren't exempt from mold dangers as new insulation can

trap moisture in walls and, when damp, materials like fake stucco provide

healthy snacks for molds.

* Keep an eye one any area that may have condensation such as behind the

toilet, shower, water heater. Also check around air conditioners and swamp

coolers.

* Pay attention to your health. Chronic sinus infections, nosebleeds,

fatigue, severe headaches, dizziness and rashes can be signs of mold-related

troubles. If the symptoms get better while you're out of the house for a few

days, then worsen when you return, you may have a mold problem.