Dangerous molds found at police headquarters
By George P. Hassett

Molds causing brain damage and various respiratory illnesses are thriving in the nooks and crannies of the Somerville Police station, according to tests conducted last winter.
   In December, five local unions representing the employees working in the Public Safety building at 220 Washington St. paid for tests of the building to search for air pollution and molds in the heating and air conditioning units.

   Although molds tend to be less prominent in colder weather, the December tests on the building turned up significant levels of Stachybotrys molds, greenish-black slimy molds found only on surfaces that have been wet for several days or more. Chronic exposure to Stachybotrys causes cold and flu symptoms, fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, sore throat, hair loss, memory loss, and severe brain damage.
   While the tests were being conducted heat in the building was turned off, meaning the results are likely on the low side of what actually exists in the building. Leutcher said more tests will be conducted in the Spring.
   The Municipal Employees Association, Firefighters union, Police Patrolmen‚Äôs Union, Superior Officers Union and the union representing 911 operators each paid $2500 to test the building.
    The tests are part of a lawsuit filed almost one year ago. In August, nearly 60 people who work at the police station sought legal action as an attempt to get to the bottom of health problems plaguing employees of the building. The suit claims they ‚Äúwere subjected to pro-longed exposures, to chronic damp conditions, and the types of molds that produce toxins as well as other hazardous substances present in their workplace environment.‚Äù The physical maladies of the plaintiffs range from minor headaches to cancers and lung infections. If the building is to blame, the city must work to empty it of employees, Leutcher said.
   ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs unconscionable that the mayor is not concerned with the health of the police and everybody who works in that building,‚Äù Leutcher said. ‚ÄúThe people who work there have been convinced for a long time that it wasn‚Äôt a safe place to be, the only one who isn‚Äôt convinced is Joe Curtatone.‚Äù
   Curtatone spokesperson Thomas P. Champion said neither the mayor nor city attorneys have seen the test results.
   In his inaugural address, Curtatone said he planned to move the police from the building because of inadequate space and deficiencies in the building‚Äôs design. Champion said the city has re-convened an independent property review committee to determine the best uses for city owned land and possible options for a new police headquarters.
   Recently, Middlesex County Sheriff James V. DiPaola raised the possibility of including a new police station for Somerville Police inside of a building that would also house a new Middlesex County jail. But that idea is still in ‚Äúthe earliest of stages,‚Äù according to DiPaola.
   For now, the goal of many plaintiffs in the lawsuit and city workers at 220 Washington St. is simply to get away from what they believe is a ‚Äúsick building.‚Äù
  ‚ÄúMy goal is not to win a lawsuit but to get a safe environment for the police and people who work for the city,‚Äù Leutcher said.