Dangerous molds found at police headquarters

Dangerous molds found at police headquarters
By George P. Hassett

Molds causing brain damage and various respiratory illnesses are thriving in the nooks and crannies of the Somerville Police station, according to tests conducted last winter.
   In December, five local unions representing the employees working in the Public Safety building at 220 Washington St. paid for tests of the building to search for air pollution and molds in the heating and air conditioning units.

   Although molds tend to be less prominent in colder weather, the December tests on the building turned up significant levels of Stachybotrys molds, greenish-black slimy molds found only on surfaces that have been wet for several days or more. Chronic exposure to Stachybotrys causes cold and flu symptoms, fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, sore throat, hair loss, memory loss, and severe brain damage.
   While the tests were being conducted heat in the building was turned off, meaning the results are likely on the low side of what actually exists in the building. Leutcher said more tests will be conducted in the Spring.
   The Municipal Employees Association, Firefighters union, Police Patrolmen’s Union, Superior Officers Union and the union representing 911 operators each paid $2500 to test the building.
    The tests are part of a lawsuit filed almost one year ago. In August, nearly 60 people who work at the police station sought legal action as an attempt to get to the bottom of health problems plaguing employees of the building. The suit claims they “were subjected to pro-longed exposures, to chronic damp conditions, and the types of molds that produce toxins as well as other hazardous substances present in their workplace environment.” The physical maladies of the plaintiffs range from minor headaches to cancers and lung infections. If the building is to blame, the city must work to empty it of employees, Leutcher said.
   “It’s unconscionable that the mayor is not concerned with the health of the police and everybody who works in that building,” Leutcher said. “The people who work there have been convinced for a long time that it wasn’t a safe place to be, the only one who isn’t convinced is Joe Curtatone.”
   Curtatone spokesperson Thomas P. Champion said neither the mayor nor city attorneys have seen the test results.
   In his inaugural address, Curtatone said he planned to move the police from the building because of inadequate space and deficiencies in the building’s design. Champion said the city has re-convened an independent property review committee to determine the best uses for city owned land and possible options for a new police headquarters.
   Recently, Middlesex County Sheriff James V. DiPaola raised the possibility of including a new police station for Somerville Police inside of a building that would also house a new Middlesex County jail. But that idea is still in “the earliest of stages,” according to DiPaola.
   For now, the goal of many plaintiffs in the lawsuit and city workers at 220 Washington St. is simply to get away from what they believe is a “sick building.”
  “My goal is not to win a lawsuit but to get a safe environment for the police and people who work for the city,” Leutcher said.   

   

Comments

[brickbottom]

JN,

Why would you delete my post on this subject? I don't understand.

[Lost Money, again?]

So does the mold affect their brains? Does it make them slow to respond? That could explain a lot.

Why has'nt the Mayor or anyone else seen these reports? I highly doubt the building would be open if it actually contained that particular mold you mentioned! Would'nt the health department condemn the building? Do we even have an health department? If so how much money have they brought in through fines? I can point ot several thousands of dollars worth of health violations within a hundered yards of my oen house. So maybe I guess it would not surprise me if the health department would not shut down the building? Why don't I beleive a word of what all these people are saying? What if we build the new jail and police station in Cambridge or on the city-line in some already blighted location? Would the town be for this idea then? It would bit hurt to have a few sheriffs on our side and helping fight crime in our town. As far as the rest of the residents here, I am sure they would be more than happy to let these guys come around and solve some crimes and make arrests in our town. get over it.

[Jimmy D. on Lost Money]

It is important to note that sheriffs are not cops. Asking them to perform police duties is like asking a hospital orderly to perform surgery simply because they work in the same field as the doctors. Why not ask ambulance drivers to put out fires becaue they go to the same calls as the fire department? This city has a long history of having its own professionals service the city. I would like to see the sheriffs office conduct more work within the jail walls to rehabilitate prisoners.

[Dr. Mrs. McCarthy]

Mother of Sweet Jesus, enough already about the good Sheriff and his cockamamie idea of a new jail in Somerville.

IT WILL NOT HAPPEN IN THIS OR ANY OTHER LIFETIME.....................

So please kids, spend some time talking about the really important issues of the day.

To ban Fluff or not to ban Fluff. That is the question.......................

Oh shit. My good friend Kate just called. Seems as though Senator Barrios has announced that he's backing off of his call to ban the white gooy stuff.

The isssue is just too much of a sticky wicket!!!!!!!!!!!

Joints Not Jails,
(you like that don't you Shelton?)

Dr. Mrs. McCarthy

[since when]

"Asking them to perform police duties is like asking a hospital orderly to perform surgery "

So what is asking our own police to perform police duties like? A bet it is a lot harder than that. First you have to get them out of the coffee shop, then get them back to the city then,...

[west Nile virus is here]

A Local Somerville area business known for not cleaning up was recently discovered to have a 64 gallon garbage container in a pile of junk that had amoung other things filled with rain water and was host to millions of mosquitoe larvae.
After a discovery of the west nile virus in needham. Department of Public Health officials in Massachusetts are warning residents to take precautions, telling them to avoid going out at dusk or dawn, which are peak times for mosquito activity. They also suggest using bug repellent with DEET and advise residents to remove standing water from around their property.

Spraying is already under way in many communities.

Record rainfall in the Bay State in May and June created perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Last summer, there were six cases of West Nile virus in metro Boston. One elderly woman died. The virus is particularly dangerous for the elderly and children.

Many home owners dump standing water thinking they have done a great job. What most don't realize; however, is that if they have not cleaned their gutters they are the most likely source of mosquitoes near their home. Absantee landlords that jerk people around especially known for gutters full of mosquitoes.

If you are interested in recent pictures of the local business with mosquitoe larvae, garbage and rats leave us your email address, we will be more than happy to send them your way.

[Ron Newman]

Could you please name the business and its address here?

[west Nile virus is here]

The Abbey Lounge in Inman Square.

[M.O.S.]

Maybe the city should be checking the schools for that same dangerous MOLE...I mean MOLD.
MOS

[cesoid]

I just feel the need to say that this is the most weird incoherent bunch of comments I've ever seen. They were as entertaining as they were perplexing.