Maui building has WAILUKU >> Marsilo "Mac" Aquinde said he didn't have asthma before the bad-air problem in a Maui County government building. Now he goes to Oahu to have his asthma checked out by Kuakini Medical Center.
clean bill of health,
but some workers sick
Officials still do not know
what caused the bad-air problemBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comOlga Young said she has acquired an autoimmune disease from airborne fungi.
More than a year after bad air forced the evacuation of about 80 county employees, some workers say they have lingering health problems and are wary about returning to the two-story Kalana Pakui Building this month because of the county's slow response to the problem. There were at least 12 employees who said they were affected by the bad air.
"I think they should have immediately evacuated the building," said county planner Julie Higa. "Instead, they had us work until people were dizzy."
County officials say the cause of the bad-air problem remains a mystery, but they feel confident that the building is safe after renovation.
"The contractor has had an air quality consultant who did testing during the construction," county spokeswoman Karlynn Kawahara said.
Also, Kawahara said an air quality firm conducted tests this week and determined the building was safe for reoccupation for a number of public works employees.
She said a state inspector also examined the renovation work this week.
The county Land Use and Codes Administration offices will be closed tomorrow and Tuesday, as some 41 employees return to their former quarters from temporary offices in Wailuku.
Officials said the division will continue its inspection services as well as its review of plumbing and electrical permits at War Memorial Gym.
Some 30 Planning Department employees will be returning to the old building starting the week of April 22.
Planning Director John Min said the exact dates for the move will be announced soon.
County official Lance Taguchi said the cost of design, cleaning and renovation totaled $450,000, including the elimination of mold from ceilings and the installation of a new air-conditioning system with ultraviolet light to kill bacteria entering air ducts.
Taguchi said the county paid about $244,000 in office rent for temporary commercial space and will pay more than an estimated $38,000 for the cost of moving and the reinstallation of telephones and computers.
Inspections found mainly Cladosporium mold in the water-stained ceiling and some Aspergillus and Stachybotry mold as well in the building.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the molds may cause symptoms, such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, or wheezing and that some people have more severe reactions when exposed to large amounts of molds at work.
Some people with chronic illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs, the CDC said.
Aquinde, a land use and building plans examiner, recalled he felt immediately sick after he opened the office and turned on the air conditioner at 6 a.m. on Feb. 20, 2001.
Other employees complained later in the day about eye irritation, respiratory problems, and headaches.
Carolyn Takayama, a planning clerk, said her eyes burned and she removed her soft contacts.
She said whatever caused the irritation was so strong she was never able to use her contacts again.
"I don't know what it was," she said.
Young, a clerk who works directly under an air-conditioning duct, said she had filed a complaint in 1999 with state health officials about the sick building and her condition has worsened.
She said two physicians who have done blood analyses have diagnosed her as having an autoimmune disease from exposure to Aspergillus mold.
"I'm very upset," she said. "I definitely got sick."
Higa said she got sick about four days later and she continues to have congestion in her nasal and ear passages.
A state health inspector said he was unable to conclusively determine the cause of the bad-air complaints, partially because the problem occurred several weeks before his inspection and only for a couple of hours.
Kawahara said county officials didn't immediately alert the inspector because they initially thought fumes from fresh paint in the building were the source of the problem.
She said administration officials are working with different agencies to develop a rapid response plan.
County of Maui