Industrial Hygiene Responds January 9, 2012 Mold sampling
conducted Noted very dusty conditions and recommend a thorough
cleaning Notice the supply air vents are blocked with Plexiglas
Decided to come back with the IAQ Meter to take further
measurements (CO2, CO, Temperature, humidity)
Slide 4
Industrial Hygiene Responds January 9, 2012 Industrial Hygiene
notifies the EHS Coordinator of the complaint and the blocked
supply vents. EHS Coordinator determines multiple work- orders were
placed by the group to have the heat fixed. Works with the
Facilities and Security Supervisor for Chemistry to more actively
engage Facilities about the problem.
Slide 5
January 6 Mold Sampling
Slide 6
January 11 to 20 CO2
Slide 7
Jan 11 to 20 Temperature
Slide 8
Jan 11 to Jan 20 RH
Slide 9
Symptoms (In Last 6 Months) Fatigue 1 case of pneumonia
Headaches Nose bleeds Vertigo
Slide 10
Supply Air Vents All room vents blocked Reheat coils not
functioning Cold air blowing on students Multiple work- orders
placed by the group to have the heat fixed
Slide 11
Supply Air Vents Work-orders placed on: 9/28/10 10/6/10 4/22/11
Does not include repeated phone calls On 4/27/11 the student
decides he is not having success with the work-order process and
finds a Facilities Comments form on the web and submits another
request.
Slide 12
Slide 13
Supply Air Vents Facilities technician informs group that
reheat coils cannot be fixed. Facilities suggests as a solution
they can cover over the supply vent blowing on the student.
Slide 14
Supply Air Vents Reheat Coils Fixed Vents Unblocked On or
Around January 23rd
Slide 15
January 26 Mold Sampling
Slide 16
February 2nd Industrial Hygiene revisits the space to assess
the air using the IAQ meter.
Slide 17
February 2 to February 9
Slide 18
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Slide 20
MIT Medical Industrial Hygiene contacts MIT Medical on February
6 to inform Dr. David Diamond of group members suffering from
adverse medical conditions that they believe are related to the
office space 6-022 On February 13, Dr. Diamond visits the space and
talks with some of the occupants.
Slide 21
Action Taken It is recommended to seal up a trough in the floor
that may be prone to flooding (and consequently prone to mold
growth) Biosafety conducts another round of mold sampling on that
day Biosafety submits a work order to Facilities to have the fan
coil units checked to ensure they are not clogged, moldy, etc.
Slide 22
Fan Coil Units Facilities reported the fan coil units had not
been put on a PM schedule and were not being serviced. New filters
installed.
Slide 23
February 13
Slide 24
Actions Taken Gone from essentially no air flow to fresh supply
air entering the space, and significantly lower CO2 levels.
Established that there is no mold problem Had the fan coil units
serviced and put on a regular PM, so room temperature can be
maintained. Also loaned the group a HEPA filter unit Informal
visits indicated that the original students that complained felt
like the air was better
Slide 25
Slide 26
April 2, 2012 Two new lab group member emails EHS members
involved and complain of being more fatigued than usual. On April 3
we meet with the group members and conduct another round of air
sampling with the IAQ meter and another round of mold
sampling.
Slide 27
April 3 Mold Sampling
Slide 28
April 3 to April 4
Slide 29
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Slide 31
April 4 The Facilities and Security Supervisor for Chemistry is
asked to arrange with Facilities to have the volume of supply air
tested.
Slide 32
April 8, Students Meet with Dean For Graduate Education 4
people report chronic fatigue, balance impairment, vertigo, CNS
infections, pneumonia, sinus infections Went unreported by EHS,
despite air quality complaint SOP mandating reporting of this to
MIT Medical Students notifying occupational health themselves
Months without any response to health concerns Randomly removing
air filters; high mold levels led to mandatory HEPA filter
installations, residual flooding No tests or quantification of mold
levels, allergens, air quality, despite repeated requests
Slide 33
Air Flow in Basement
Slide 34
Ongoing Issues Complaints of rust in the water led to a request
to have the water tested A second round of water testing involving
glycols
Slide 35
Lessons Learned Make sure researchers know who to contact if
they are having trouble getting facilities to fix something. At the
first report of medical issues refer to MIT Medical, and give MIT
Medical a heads-up Communication is key!!!