Workplace Mold

[sickfrommold22]

I am living and working in PA. My workplace has made me sick 13 times within a 19 month period from sinus infections, upper respiratory infections and at times shortness of breath along with a million other symptoms. The symptoms I have described are documented by my medical family doctor. I have previously been ill once maybe twice a year with some sort of infection but never 6 to 9 times a year.

Within three months of working in my new office I got sick.There were times when I used over the counter medications so as not to take time off to see the doctor but I will only use documented events for this. I have used all my sick time and vacation time and personal time for sick time off with the exception of about 7 days within 2 years. I got a sinus infection (sinusitis) I became ill over and over again within a month or so and again.... Finally I noticed that in November (about 13 months after I took the position) I was short of breath every day I was at work. I would barely be able to walk to the restroom which was about 15 feet from my desk without being short of breath. At night I could not hold a conversation without pausing several times to try to catch my breath. Then after a few weeks I noticed that the next morning I would be fine until mid morning/lunchtime at work and it would begin again. Finally I noticed how on the weekends I did not have this problem.

After 4 months or so of working there I noticed that the carpet under my plastic chair protector was wet. I notified my immediate manager and she had told me that it had been wet before and the boss usually sprays vinegar and it goes away. When we discussed it around the office (there are 4 of us and a boss) they all seemed to know that this carpet on the side of the building where I worked was wet previously. Well it sat wet from the day I complained until November when I was having trouble breathing. Finally my boss took the plastic mat off and sprayed it with vinegar. The smell of mold was ungodly.

After that I was sick on and off for the next two months. In December my Doctor wrote along with a diagnosis of sinus infection/upper respiratory infection and Restrictive airway disease (after metering my lung capacity in the office she determined that I was not getting enough oxygen and that I had to pause 3 times walking around her office and how out of breath I was) to have the carpets cleaned or tested. I had told her the story of the wet carpet.

Nothing was done and about four weeks later I was sick again with another infection and she wrote me out on disability for 4 weeks. During that time the note made its way up the chain of command and the higher authority who employs us all decided to hire a home inspection company to test for mold. The land lord refused and is a friend of my boss.

The test came back positive and they hired a chemical cleaning company to clean the carpets. I came back and although I did not have trouble breathing as I had before within 13 working days I was sick with another sinus infection. The testing company retested after the carpet was cleaned and they told the higher authority it was fine and free from mold.

This time the higher authorities hired a CIH finally and they came in and tested properly but for everything other than mold!! They found an air handling issue a crack in the drip pan as well as stagnant water, windows that leak and so on. They repaired a few of the items on the list and cleaned the vents and that was that. After another 8 weeks out on disability I was sick after only 9 days of work. Again with a sinus infection.

This time they hired back the CIH and she tested for mold. Now they tell me that there are safe levels of mold in the office and they will do nothing further.

Needless to say after all this time off and being so sick for almost 2 years on and off, I have taken so much antiobiotics that I cant take any more or I could get mersa much less the damage it has already done to my stomach. My head hurts just about every day and I have lost over 20 lbs since this ordeal as well as am on anti depressants and sleep medication because I clench my teeth day and night and am so stressed about all of this. I make very few meals for my family, my kids have gotten rides because I cant drive them to church and school and so on and I am socially out of commission with my friends due to all of this. I have no life other than sleeping, clenching my teeth and feeling awful all the time. I am sick of being sick for so long. My bills are getting tighter and tighter with only getting a portion of my pay on disability and the checks do not come regularly so there are times when I get shut off notices for things before the next check appears.

I have exhausted all my fmla time(as well as any time I had previously accrued) and the higher authority issues you another 12 weeks if it is medical leave and I am just about at the end of that. I was refused workers comp because they felt this was not work related. The others in the office are ill with minor effects such as sore throat, naseau, headaches, fatigue and one with a few sinus infections but none as bad as mine.

First, can they fire me? Second what do I do if they do fire me? and third how do I get my life back. I have had endless, bloodwork and cat scans and seen allergists, immunologists and so on. I just dont know what to do.

The worst part of this is that my boss tells us as his staff that he knows mold is in the building and even tells others that do not work there the same and how he feels better when he is not there, but then goes to the higher authorities and says its fine. He is the one who has been holding the information and not forwarding it up the chain previously to get things fixed and he has been the one to make it seem as if it is nothing. Yet he walks around and tells everyone its awful and how bad it smells and how wet the carpets have been and so on....

What do I do? the name of the state is PAWhat is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

[kmkile70]

Mr. Sick, I was amazed at your symptoms and there are 6 employees in my workplace suffering from the same symptoms. We started out with a chemical irritant from a shipment that came from China which gave us Chemical Bronchitis and now all have Ashma. There was mold also found in the store after we became ill and we can't get any better. We all feel sick again after entering the workplace. People don't understand our symptoms and think were all crazy and our employer denies the mold and our conditions, therefore were harrassed at work and feel our jobs are in jepourdy. I can relate to your illness. We don't know where to turn either, and i was hoping you may help us also. Talk to you shortly, your friend from TN.

[las365]

File a workers compensation claim, immediately.

[kmkile70]

A work comp claim was filed in Feb. Four of the employees were out of work for 3 months, and since returning so has all the harrassment. The owner of the company was negligent when we called him 3 days before he decided to close the store for a few hours to clean out the products from the store. He did not believe there was a problem with merchandise until 1 employee was rushed to the er. Our Dr. appt. are still carrying on, as we go to Vanderbilt University to a Toxicologist 3 hours from our residence.

[las365]

kmkile70, you should start your own thread for your case/questions.

[sickfrommold22]

TN friend Kmkile70 I feel for you. I am due to see the immunologist again in about a month and my family doctor again only to find out that they do not want me to return to that office as I feel the same. The thought of being that sick again is scarey. I spent 10 weeks in bed this last time and I was unable to take more antibiotics to get rid of it as I had explained for fear of mersa or staff infection. If I get sick again I will end up in the hospital quarrantined or worse. I am now very sensitive to all smells. I can easily get headaches and have breathing problems where I never had before. As for the asthma, it comes and goes but daily in my home I am fine. The weather gives me terrible headaches now as well, so bad at times I have to sleep it off with a few pills. My office will not transfer me to another location because others are sick in the building and they will complain for a transfer as well. I am truly stuck. I had filed a workers comp claim and was denied way back in December of 08. I am not sure what legal recourse I have at this time. If I refuse to go back to that office I will end up losing my job. My job says there is nothing wrong with the levels in the office and will do nothing further. My doctor says the job must be making me sick yet no one can exactly pin point it. I feel that the wet and moldy carpet that they oh so delicately cleaned was not cleaned properly nor was the cause of the wet carpet taken care of. But I am not the expert and since there are no mold guidelines, I have nothing to hang my hat on. I truly dont know where to turn.