Mold Trheatens Courthouse, fwd

[Richard Boyden <richard.boyden@sanbruno.nara.gov>]

FYI, fwd from RECMGMT  listserv

San Jose Mercury News 1/20/99
Mold threatens courthouse
County officials consider closing building in San Martin

BY TRACEY KAPLAN
Mercury News Staff Writer

After spending $6 million to build the South County courthouse four years
ago, Santa Clara County officials are now preparing to close it as early
as next month because the building is erupting with a potentially toxic
mold.

The mold problem, first detected during last season's El Ni=F1o rains, has
become so widespread that 12 rooms in the courthouse have been
sealed off and some documents in them will have to be copied by crews
wearing special ``moon suits'' in case the papers are contaminated.

The mold, Stachybotrys atra, is caused by moisture leaking through the
roof and windows. It can trigger reactions ranging from mild
lower-respiratory infections to, in extremely rare cases, bleeding of the
lungs in infants, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

But county officials Tuesday minimized the health risk, saying they had
been able to contain the black, sticky mold that stipples many offices by
either shutting off contaminated areas or sealing walls in plastic before
anyone became ill. Two county employees have filed worker's
compensation claims alleging the mold made them sick, but the county
rejected both claims.

Plan in works

However, in the interest of safety, a county task force is drawing up a
plan to shut down the entire court complex next month and move 71
employees either to 19 portable offices that would be set up on the
property in San Martin or to a rented building in Gilroy. The district
attorney's office, the public defender and the probation department have
already shut down operations and moved employees to San Jose.

``We've got to protect people in there while we either tear down the
building or repair it,'' said Supervisor Don Gage, whose district includes
the South County courthouse.

Meanwhile, the situation has hindered the criminal justice system,
Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu said.

For instance, attorneys have been unable to view documents, such as
notes from interviews with witnesses, that were left behind in the eight
rooms that were sealed off this month. The reason is that crews that will
copy the papers while wearing protective moon suits have to undergo
background checks because they will be seeing confidential documents.

``We've been conducting two trials down there while this has been
going on, and it hasn't been easy,'' Sinunu said.
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