Air Traffic Controllers Doesn't Want Detroit Airport to Clean Mold, Claiming Plan Won't Kill It All

May 22, 2006
This is the latest skirmish in a year and a half battle over whether the FAA has taken the right steps to clean up mold in the control tower.

The union that represents air traffic controllers in Detroit is trying to stop the Federal Aviation Administration from cleaning up black mold in the air traffic control tower at Detroit Metro Airport next week, saying the plan isn't sufficient and would worsen a mold problem that has workers worried about their health.

The FAA said in an update to Congress this month that it is meeting industry standards for the cleanup and mold experts and federal health officials "have found no reason for there to be health concerns related to working at the facility."

This is the latest skirmish in a year and a half battle over whether the FAA has taken the right steps to clean up mold in the control tower, which apparently results from moisture seeping into the building.

It's happening against the backdrop of contract talks between the FAA and the union that have reached an impasse.

The union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says the mold has led to health problems among controllers, who already are held to strict standards for their medical condition on the job.

Vince Sugent, president of the controller's union Detroit local, filed a lawsuit in December against the U.S. Department of Transportation, saying the mold led to his asthma that was diagnosed in the last year.

"I've never had asthma before in my life," Sugent said.

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved worker compensation claims for three workers in the tower.

Through his lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Sugent has asked a judge to halt the FAA's plans to clean up mold in the tower's elevator shaft, slated to start Tuesday.

During the cleanup, the FAA plans to clean the walls of the tower's elevator shaft using vacuums equipped with HEPA filters and then use a mixture of soap and water to clean mold from the shaft's walls, said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory.

Court filings say a household dish detergent mixed with water would be used for the cleanup. The union's experts contend that the walls where mold has been found should be removed altogether, Sugent said, so the mold doesn't come back.

The FAA stands by its plan.

"We have studied our options carefully and have hired experts in this field to advise us. The mold in the tower shaft is on the surface ... and is not active," said Cory in an e-mail Thursday.

Jeff Bishop, an Dothan, Ala., technical adviser for the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, which sets standards for mold cleanup and certifies companies to perform such work, said washing the mold off of a surface, like the FAA has planned, can meet industry standards.

But how effective it will be depends on the materials it uses and how much mold has grown on the walls of the elevator shaft, said Bishop, who does not work with the FAA or the union.

Typically when mold is being cleaned up, elevator doors are sealed and household dish soap is not a good idea, Bishop said.

If soap isn't rinsed off properly, it "could serve as a food source for future biological growth," he said.

Court documents and Cory said the shaft's walls are made of greenboard, which is more resistant to moisture than typical drywall.

"It depends on how soiled it is. It may be prudent to take it out," Bishop said. "If the structural integrity of the greenboard is intact, and if it can be cleaned then it can be salvaged."

Copyright (c) 2006, Detroit Free Press


Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.