hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Canadian workers were affected by fungal infection
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Canadian workers were affected by fungal infection
The U.S. CDC has confirmed that builders renovating an old house in Quebec, Canada contracted fungal spores from the building. The reason was that the workmen were not provided with the correct equipment.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Employers need to provide the appropriate protective equipment and reinforce the necessity of applying protective measures during demolition work, including when handling debris away from work site.” This is in reference to a finding that during the renovation of an old house, 30 workers and residents were exposed to dust from bird or bat droppings previously hidden in the brick walls. This led to 14 people, most of them workers, developing symptoms of the disease histoplasmosis. These are symptoms typical of pneumonia (such as dyspnea, fever, and thoracic pain). Histoplasmosis (also known as "Cave disease") is a respiratory disease caused by inhalation of a fungus spores (from the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum). Bats and birds can excrete the organism in their droppings and it can persist in the environment for several years. Outbreaks can occur when demolition work produces dust containing bird or bat droppings. The property was located at Saint-Eustache, Quebec, northwest from Montreal, according Topix. The main reason for the infections was because preventative measures were not taken and the workers undertaking the building works were not issued with respirators. Of the four who were laboratory-confirmed, two were hospitalized. There was a strong link between illness and high exposure to dust during demolition of the exterior walls, but also with the handling of contaminated debris away from the work site.
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Canadian workers were affected by fungal infection