Controllers' safety concerns aren't just technical
It’s no secret that the FAA’s failure to modernize equipment and increase staffing is challenging air traffic controllers’ ability to maintain the safety of the world’s safest skies. As if that’s not enough to contend with, some controllers are now facing a new foe on this growing list of safety concerns: biohazards in the workplace.
Detroit Metropolitan Air Traffic Control Tower, a 40-year-old structure, underwent a routine Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection in September 2004 that revealed on the fourth and ninth floors the presence of several types of mold, including black or “toxic” mold. Research into the possible health effects of mold outbreaks is a relatively new field, but recent studies show that adverse physical reactions to mold are likely caused by toxigenic spores that can directly inhibit cellular lung and immune system functions if inhaled.
When the mold outbreak in Detroit Tower was discovered, NATCA sought the help of Dr. Michael Pinto, CEO of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc., an environmental consultant who recently assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency in reviewing the salvageability of flood-damaged houses in the New Orleans region. Despite Wonder Makers’ test results showing the presence of both surface and airborne mold spores in the facility, the FAA spent nearly five months collecting contract bids for mold remediation while tower employees increasingly suffered from respiratory illnesses and skin irritation. “The health and well-being of the employees and safety of the flying public were continually at risk, thanks the FAA’s delays,” says Vincent Sugent, facility representative at Detroit Tower.
Without prior notice to controllers, the FAA finally conducted a mold remediation attempt on Jan. 22 which, due to the alleged improper use of toxic chemical agents, caused eight controllers to seek medical attention. “Ultimately we had to abandon the tower for five hours to allow the fire department to check the oxygen levels,” remarked Sugent. “The remediation team never returned and it left the mold improperly sealed with painter’s tape and staples until May 2005.”
In March 2005, the FAA released a Detroit Metro Tower Remediation Plan which concluded that remediation would be required wherever mold was found. An FAA-hired contractor’s investigation in June 2005 noted significant mold infestation in locations in addition to the original ones.
While the report made recommendations for remediation, Sugent says the agency has done little to no follow-up since the additional inspections took place, and continues to ignore both the controllers’ inquiries and Wonder Makers’ professional recommendations. “I requested an air quality check on Sept. 29,” notes Sugent. “To date, I have not received a response, even though employees are still becoming ill and no progress has been made on the Detroit Metro Tower Remediation Plan.”
In fact, the FAA has been increasingly uncooperative throughout the remediation process, including denying repeated evidence of mold migration and ultimately denying Wonder Makers’ personnel access to the facility. “This is not a uniform response from the FAA,” Pinto contends. “Wonder Makers representatives have helped the agency in handling mold remediation in other areas of the country, and participated on national committees to develop Memorandums of Understanding that the FAA has adopted nationwide. We’ve never run into the problems we’re facing now.”
NATCA’s Great Lakes Regional Vice President Patrick Forrey also finds the FAA’s refusal to cooperate troubling. “A walk-through by a contractor does not constitute an inspection,” he asserts. “A certified industrial hygienist would be needed for that, along with air and mold samples, which the FAA refuses to allow. Without scientific measurements lending credence to the controllers’ symptoms, they can deny the existence of the health problem.”
“None of the recommended remediation processes are outrageous in cost or scope,” Pinto says. “So it’s not worth the energy the FAA is using to deny the problem and put employees at risk.”
