Foster says those who spent several hours in complex
suffered all-too-familiar symptoms

Fourteen county employees volunteered to spend Monday in the toxic mold-contaminated
Nye County Government Complex to participate in a baseline study conducted by
Dr. James Craner.

According to Interim County Manager Geneva Hollis, the study is reportedly the first
of itskind involving human exposure to buildings afflicted with the so-called "Sick
Building Syndrome."

The complex was evacuated last month and employees were moved temporarily to
the old county complex as well as a series of office trailers set on site.

Craner left for New Orleans earlier this week, but not before commenting on the study.
Craner, one of the nation's foremost authorities on sick buildings, said the study allowed
him to conduct clinical research to develop a diagnostic protocol related to occupancy
of the building. Byron Foster of the assessor's office was one of the 14 volunteers and
he seemed excited to have participated.

Foster said each volunteer submitted to a chest x-ray June 13. On Sunday, blood was
drawn, Dr. Robert Wong performed nasal scopes, called a rhynolaryngoscopy, and
consent forms were signed. Craner examined each volunteer, each of whom had been
out of the building for a minimum of four weeks.

Volunteers spent between two and four hours in the building, though some were in the
building up to six hours, while personnel from Terra Nova Mold worked to remove the
mold and others worked to repair the leaky pipes throughout the building that created
the problem in the first place. Contrary to previous reports, water intrusion from rainfall
did not lead to the presence of mold. Craner said the sole cause of the mold is due to
leaky valves, which is what has caused similar problems in other buildings, most
notably the Grant Sawyer government building in Clark County.

Foster said the building has essentially been gutted. Participants were encouraged to
roam throughout the building while workers went about their business. It didn't take
long before symptoms of exposure were experienced by many of the volunteers.

"After 20 minutes most people had been affected," Foster said. The symptoms were
consistent with what employees had complained of prior to the evacuation of the
building: burning eyes, nausea, itchy skin, bloody noses, headaches and fatigue.
"As far as I know everybody had some type of reaction."

Roughly two-and-a-half hours after the study began, Foster said volunteers began to
be examined. Blood was drawn and nasal cavities were scoped again. Foster said most
employees had experienced an increase in mucous after being exposed. Photographs
were taken to document the physical changes noted by Craner.

Foster experienced a bloody nose, and on Wednesday he said his skin was still dry
and itchy and he was "very tired."

He said workers in protective gear had pulled up carpet, ripped out floor and ceiling tiles,
and even knocked down walls in the extensive cleanup project. "They're stripping it down
to a shell," he said.

Craner hinted the study could set a national precedent insofar as how the problem has
been addressed and the willingness of Nye employees to participate. "This is not a new
problem," Craner said. "It's new to Nye County, but these problems exist internationally."

More important, perhaps, is the precedent that could be established on how these problems
are addressed from the time employees first voice unexplained illnesses, to evacuation of
the building and their subsequent quick recoveries, to the construction of the building,
and finally, to litigation.

Craner praised the employees, adding that the number that volunteered to participate in the
study "demonstrates the seriousness of understanding the significance of this problem.
" Craner said it would be a few weeks until the results are in. "We're looking at what this is,
but also excluding potential areas of concern."

While some county employees believe the county commissioners should have acted more
promptly to the problem, Craner said Nye's response has been swift. "I've had the full support
of the county commissioners," Craner said. The IRS building in Clark County, for example,
has been afflicted with toxic mold problems for over 11 years and the issue still isn't resolved.

©Pahrump Valley Times 2002

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