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Mold stinks up DIA
Reports since 1996
describe persistent trouble with fungi.
By Todd Hartman
Rocky Mountain News
July 28, 2003
At least six investigations at Denver
International Airport since 1996 have found water leaks and mold growth in
basement areas, and de-icing fluid stinking up the swank Red Carpet Club
lounge.
In one case,
federal inspectors found that fungi contamination remained in basement
office areas three years after the airport was notified about it.
Another
report, in 2001, warned of drainage issues that could lead to future odor
problems "in the airport as a whole and specifically throughout Concourse
B."
Earlier this
month, two United Airlines employees sued DIA, claiming they were sickened
by mold, odors and poor environmental conditions at the airport. The lawsuit
alleges that DIA has failed to address the problems and "recklessly and
carelessly" exposed tens of thousands of travelers to such conditions.
The lawsuit
contains 18 allegations of serious mold, odor or other indoor air problems
at DIA, including E. coli bacteria colonizing carpets in a concourse
basement, sewage leaks near airline gates on Concourse B, high mold counts
forcing the closure of training rooms and other areas, and raw sewage pooled
in utility tunnels.
"Severe
environmental conditions have developed at various locations within the
airport," the lawsuit said. "As a result . . . the airport presents a health
hazard to all who pass through its doors."
Inspection
reports examined by the Rocky Mountain News show that DIA, United
Airlines, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
Tri-County Health, Denver's health department and private contractors have
repeatedly investigated complaints about indoor air quality on Concourse B
over the years.
Those
records, along with the recent lawsuit, show strong odors, mold infestations
and other air-quality problems have been cited in at least 15 specific
locations within the airport. The workers suing DIA even trace problems to a
drain in one of United Airlines' Red Carpet Club lounges.
"Drains (are)
so contaminated in the East Red Carpet Room on the fourth level that
defendants require acid poured down them once a week," the lawsuit said.
Problems not always
fixed
How - or if -
DIA has resolved the problems is another matter. In some cases, inspections
turned up little or nothing of concern. But in others, when problems were
discovered, they weren't always resolved.
In one
report, dated May 1999, a contractor hired to investigate complaints on
Concourse B wrote: "The Denver facility has had a history of indoor air
quality concerns for at least the last three years. . . . The basement area
has a history of water leaks and mold growth on the walls and possibly under
carpeting."
The report
indicates that moldy drywall had been removed and replaced within the past
18 months, but "employees are still reporting symptoms."
Another
inspection, by OSHA, found that mold contamination discovered in Concourse
B's basement offices leased by Air Wisconsin in 1996 was present three years
later.
United chided for mold
The same
report chided United Airlines, which subleased the basement offices to Air
Wisconsin, for recommending further air sampling in the area instead of
immediate cleanup of the mold.
The OSHA
report said DIA needed to address a structural problem: water seepage from
outside.
"The presence
of water on building materials has led to in the past, and continues to
support, microbial growth with the potential of causing adverse health
effects," the report said. "Prompt repair to the infrastructure must be the
primary response to microbial contamination."
Perhaps the
most frequent target for complaints has been United's Red Carpet Club on the
west side of Concourse B.
A study by
the consulting firm URS Corp. in the fall of 2001 noted "numerous
complaints" of a sewer-
like smell.
"Recently, the complaints have become more frequent and have resulted in
some UA employees experiencing short-term health effects, some to the point
of requiring medical attention."
The company
found a bizarre source for the stink: micro-organisms feeding off de-icing
fluid trapped in DIA storm drains, with smells wafting inside via roof
drains.
At first,
officials thought the problem was linked to cracks in the foundation of an
elevator shaft, allowing stormwater contaminated with de-icing fluid to seep
into the shaft. DIA then sealed the cracked foundation, but the problem
persisted.
URS then
discovered the other path for the odors, and recommended DIA make several
changes to ventilation and drainage systems.
The report
said DIA implemented some of the changes and helped alleviate the stink, but
warned that "the potential exists for future problems associated with odors
and the stormwater sewer system in the airport as a whole, and specifically
throughout Concourse B."
Employees still
complaining
It also noted
that United Airlines employees were still complaining about smells at other
locations. "In response," the report said, "continued investigation of other
disagreeable odors at Concourse B may be warranted."
Indeed,
controlling stormwater and de-icing fluid has been a struggle for DIA. Twice
the airport has been fined by Colorado's Water Quality Control Division for
a total of nearly $90,000 for failing to contain de-icing fluid that has run
off into local creeks. In response, the airport has spent more than $16
million upgrading its drainage system.
DIA spokesman
Steve Snyder said airport officials declined to speak in detail about the
history of indoor air quality complaints, or what steps DIA has taken to
address them, because the matter had moved into the legal arena with the
recent lawsuit.
He did,
however, stand by earlier comments that the airport has been "responsive" to
concerns. "We've done everything we can up to this point," he said. "We
haven't left (the issues) unaddressed."
He took
exception to another claim in the lawsuit - that travelers who frequent the
airport are in danger because of the alleged mold contamination and other
problems.
"The
traveling public is in absolutely no danger," Snyder said.
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