Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What can I do to make sure this strange white powder coating everything on my job isn't a health hazard?

My job relocated from a clean modern building with great maintenance and security, to a dirty rodent infested building that's at least 40 years old because it was more cost effective.





The water fountains are turned off because of the lead pipes. There are mouse dropping in my cubicle everyday and the whole office is coated in a strange white powder. The building has repeatedly been sited by the health department but nothing has been done.





OSHA has tested the powder and says its not Legionaries Disease, which one of our other buildings did have, and its not asbestos, even though a contractor left the building and refused to complete repairs on our AC claiming the building had asbestos. They says it has a high mold content but that's not something they deal with.





A lot of people in the building have a persistent cough and my desk is right under a vent so I not only have a cough but have horrible headaches as well.





I currently have to wipe my desk off with bleach wipes everyday just to keep the dust off my clothes. The dust is so thick when I come to work on Mondays that you can write in it. Plus its not like regular dust as its grainy. I really think this stuff is dangerous but I can't afford to quit and look for a new job.





What can I do to find out what this stuff is? And how can I protect myself?What can I do to make sure this strange white powder coating everything on my job isn't a health hazard?
Take a brush and sweep up some of the material into a small clean and dry bottle (like a pill bottle). Then look in the yellow pages for an asbestos lab. Send them the sample and they will give you a report. Call them first that you want a complete breakdown, not just positive/negative. It is probably just dust, fibers, and maybe some fiberglass, but only testing can tell. EMSL is a national lab that can help (answerer is not affiliated). Call the closest location and explain what you have concerns about. If it is only normal dust, there is not much you can do beyond what you already do. I would use something like lysol wipes in rotation with the bleach wipes for better coverage. Use a different one type each day but not at the same time.What can I do to make sure this strange white powder coating everything on my job isn't a health hazard?
I don't know how you can find out what the dust is apart from reporting this to the Occ Health and Safety authorities.





You need to get yourself moved to a different desk. Tell your employer that it is making you sick and that you don't want them to have to be liable for huge medical bills.





You say you cannot afford to change jobs but can you afford to get mesothelioma if it is asbestos? Even if it is something else, you are breathing that in and your lungs could form scar tissue around the deposits. Any type of irregularity in the form or function of your lungs can cause cells to get out of whack with their dividing and that is the beginning of cancer. At the very least you could get one of a number of lung and/or respiratory conditions





You have to either change jobs or move to a different area. Dust that you can write in is not good! Especially when it isn't dust! Put pressure on the health department and if you can, put pressure on your employers. Let them know that it could end up being more expensive if they do nothing.





Good Luck and think of your future. When you are lying in a hospital bed suffering, you will wish you got the heck away from that weird ';dust';.

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