Heating Ventilating and Air Condition System in Command Center Replacement The Heating Ventilating and Air Condition (HVAC) system in the District Fourteen Command Center need to be replaced. District Fourteen watch standers experience health issues due to the mold in the HVAC system. While on watch, personnel frequently have respiratory issues, from coughing and sneezing to congested sinuses. General Services Administration (GSA) who owns the building has cleaned the air ducts but this did little to alleviate the symptoms experienced while on watch. Ducts in the equipment area of the Command Center have been observed dripping water, providing the environment that mold needs to grow.
During the course of a twelve hour watch, personnel routinely have symptoms of respiratory distress, and over a watch set, typically two days or nights, the coughing and sinus issues typically worsen. It is most noticeable when personnel are coming off leave or a temporary duty assignment outside of the Command Center for a week or more. These personnel come back to watch with no symptoms of illness. However, within hours of being exclusively in the Command Center space, the coughing, congestion and sneezing return and last throughout the watch set. If the watch standers are feeling less than one …show more content…
Additionally, GSA assured District personnel that all the air conditioning filters were replaced at that time. Within a month of this cleaning and replacement of filters, black dust and mold appeared on the outside of the HVAC vents. This prompted District staff personnel to reach out to Base Honolulu’s Health Safety and Work Life (HSWL) for an assessment of the interior environment of the Command Center. HSWL set up probes to measure humidity levels which came back as acceptable but did not test for mold and dust in the air or in the air ducts
During the course of a twelve hour watch, personnel routinely have symptoms of respiratory distress, and over a watch set, typically two days or nights, the coughing and sinus issues typically worsen. It is most noticeable when personnel are coming off leave or a temporary duty assignment outside of the Command Center for a week or more. These personnel come back to watch with no symptoms of illness. However, within hours of being exclusively in the Command Center space, the coughing, congestion and sneezing return and last throughout the watch set. If the watch standers are feeling less than one …show more content…
Additionally, GSA assured District personnel that all the air conditioning filters were replaced at that time. Within a month of this cleaning and replacement of filters, black dust and mold appeared on the outside of the HVAC vents. This prompted District staff personnel to reach out to Base Honolulu’s Health Safety and Work Life (HSWL) for an assessment of the interior environment of the Command Center. HSWL set up probes to measure humidity levels which came back as acceptable but did not test for mold and dust in the air or in the air ducts