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Toxic Mold Found at Nevada EPA LibraryScientists are probing whether toxic mold, found under a ceiling tile in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) library at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas (UNLV), has anything to do with the mysterious illnesses reported by 15 EPA laboratory employees for the past two years. Two types of toxic mold—stachybotrys spores, found in several buildings including the new Lied Library, and chaetomium, a mold that normally grows in the soil—were confirmed May 8 by UNLV mold expert Linda Stetzenbach. The discovery forced the university, which owns the EPA complex, to close the 37-year-old building that is under repair while consultants search for clues to the mysterious rashes, respiratory problems, and memory losses reported by workers. Employee Daniel Heggam told the May 15 Las Vegas Sun that he has trouble remembering things. “You read a sentence and you don’t remember it,” he said. Physical Scientist Deb Chaloud said, “We don’t make a product, we sell our brains. We all are still hoping when we get out of this environment the headaches, rashes, and memory losses will dissipate.” After touring the building May 14, consultant Thomas McManus of Environmental Health Services said identifying environmental causes of illness is a relatively new field. “Finding a cause is difficult,” he said. Posted May 20, 2002. |
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