Fumes Impaired Controllers at Jacksonville

Mar. 29 -- Toxic fumes created during the remodeling of a Federal Aviation Administration building at Jacksonville International Airport have led to a rash of illnesses among air traffic controllers at the facility.

Almost a quarter of the controllers who track planes as they approach and leave Jacksonville are now on paid leave, complaining mainly of respiratory problems. According to the controllers' union, this has required the rest of the work force to put in 10-hour days and six- day weeks.

Work started last month on modernizing the building adjacent to the air traffic control tower at JIA. Although the building sits on land owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, upkeep is the FAA's responsibility. Among other work, the building, which houses administrative offices and the Terminal Radar Approach Control room -- where controllers track planes up to 50 miles away -- needed to have its roof replaced.

On March 1, the day after work began on the facility's corrugated roof, workers began to notice fumes, said Mike Flanagan , an air traffic controller at Jacksonville International Airport and president of the local controller's union. A tar-like product known as Fas-n-Free Adhesive that was being used on the roof was leaking into the facility, oozing down from ceiling tiles and light fixtures, he said.

After several days of complaints, management opened doors at the facility and set up fans, but that did little to clean the air, Flanagan said. "It was just blowing the odor from one part of the building to another," he said.

On March 10, the controllers had to call paramedics when two workers complained of chest pains and shortness of breath. That led facility managers to take more active steps: Work on the roofing project was halted, environmental engineers were called in to clean the facility, and ceiling tiles, rugs and other material was removed from the site.

Workers who could be moved were sent to a nearby annex building, but those working in the radar room -- known as TRACON -- were unable to have their jobs shifted to another location.

The FAA acknowledges there was a foul odor caused by the roofing material and says it will take "any and all necessary steps to ensure the safety, health and comfort of all employees." Air quality tests show that any airborne toxins are at levels "well below Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards," the FAA said in a statement released by spokesperson Kathleen Bergen.

But 10 of the 46 controllers who work in the building are out on disability, Flanagan said, including three that left Wednesday.

"Our staffing is already so low, we're working six-day work weeks now. Some people are required to work 10-hour days," he said.

"Sometimes you don't find out you have to work overtime until about 20 minutes before you leave. They're treating us like we have no life." But Bergen says workers are putting in the same number of hours in front of the radar screen as is typical for this time of year, about five hours per shift. (The rest of the shift is spent on breaks and administrative-type tasks.) "Staffing has been adequate to handle operations," she said.

Relationships between the unionized workers and management have been tense for more than a year due to a fractious contract fight. After the two sides reached an impasse during negotiation -- there was a $500 million gap between each of their final offers, which differed on issues including how much workers would be paid and how overtime would be handled -- the contract went to Congress, which didn't act on the matter. According to federal law, FAA's last best offer was then put into place. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is now lobbying to have that process changed.

As for the building situation, Flanagan said he doesn't think anything can be done now. "The damage is done," he said. "Management should have been more proactive and gotten people out of the building. The only thing I can do now is protect people that got ill."

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