Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA #2002-0343-2902: Fayette County Courthouse, Uniontown, Pennsylvania

Details

• Personal Author:
  Coffey, Christopher C. ; Martin, Stephen B. Jr. ; Sahakian, Nancy
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In July 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a health hazard evaluation (HHE) from employees at the Fayette County Courthouse in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Employees had reported a variety of health concerns: headaches, nausea, tiredness, nasal and sinus symptoms, vomiting, burning eyes, sore throats, breathing problems, coughing, ear infections, and dizziness. The employees reported strong and unpleasant odors from the carpeting, old papers, and dirty ceiling tiles
  
  poor air quality
  
  lack of airflow
  
  stale water
  
  mold, fungus, and mildew
  
  asbestos
  
  excessive dust
  
  and dampness. All of the concerns involved the basement and first floors of both the original courthouse and annex buildings. On August 28, 2002, NIOSH investigators completed a preliminary site walkthrough evaluation. Medical interviews and an environmental investigation were conducted in October of 2002. The environmental investigation revealed a number of locations in the courthouse that may have had mold growth due to water incursion or leakage. The ventilation systems in most of the basement and first floors were inadequate (i.e., air changes and the amount of fresh air entering the offices did not meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers [ASHRAE] minimum requirements). Temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels were largely within recommendations in all monitored areas. The levels for volatile organic compounds were generally below established exposure limits. The ventilation systems should be upgraded to meet ASHRAE recommendations. Water leaks should be repaired and damaged ceiling tiles and walls should be replaced with care to ensure that any generated dust does not enter occupied sections of the building. Interviewed office workers reported respiratory symptoms consistent with asthma with onset after the date of hire. Environmental assessment demonstrated insufficient ventilation, mold growth, and water incursion in the building.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Environmental Health Fungi Lung Microbiology Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  Air-quality Asthma Bronchial-asthma Executive, Legislative, And Other Hazards-Confirmed IAQ IEQ Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Indoor Air Quality Indoor Environmental Quality Microorganisms Molds Organic-compounds OSHA Region 3 Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Ventilation-systems Volatiles

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA200203432902
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  40 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Calvert, Catherine ; Lawrence, Robert ; Hudnall, Judith ; Duling, Matthew ; Fotta, Steven ; Rooney, Terry
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023275
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2003-106840
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 2002-0343-2902, 2003 May ; :1-35
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9)
• Editor(s):
  Arthur, Penny
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  921 - Courts - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3002fce7e54a33c86e86e6125a1c51131cacfbb51c4cf2bb08f9bcc24e7026aa55c2d85f90639474d1886ae435f411eaeec814fac47a0258420409d37e00a0b3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170847/cdc_170847_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.10 MB ]