Hospital Experiences Second Outbreak of Mold

By: David S. Riddle, P.E., Bricker & Eckler Construction Law Fellow

Reprinted from May 2006 ohioconstructionlaw.com

Unlike other potentially hazardous material, mold can regenerate after mitigation. A recent example is the discovery of mold earlier this month in Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California.

In March, the hospital found a mold called aspergillus in the ventilation system. This type of mold is typically not harmful to healthy adults. To understand why the discovery of a relatively harmless mold is significant, we must look back six years.

In 2000, Scripps Memorial Hospital was undergoing extensive renovation. During a three-month period, 16 patients tested positive for aspergillus exposure. Six of the 16 died at the hospital. According to published reports, one of the six, the only one subjected to an autopsy at the hospital, had a disorder related directly to exposure to aspergillus.

Investigators found the intensive care unit had white powdery and dusty surfaces throughout. Patient rooms were also discovered to be “dusty.” Examining the ongoing construction, several failures of proper construction techniques were discovered.

First, construction on the first floor was not using airtight barriers or HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter vacuuming to prevent contamination. Second, large amounts of dust and debris were entering the hospital through a fire door leading to the helicopter pad. Finally, nearly 500 yards away, heavy excavation was in progress. Presumably, the outside air intake introduced the resulting dust into the hospital.

With the sources located and the hospital cleaned up, life returned to normal at Scripps. Fast forward nearly six years: mold is again discovered in the hospital. Fortunately, no one was injured by the latest outbreak, at least physically. However, the hospital asked two directors to resign because the maintenance schedule was not being followed.

Because it is a naturally occurring hazard, mold requires constant vigilance. After any remediation, either the water or the food source for the fungus must be cut off, or the mold will return. The fight against mold, unlike other potentially hazardous material, never ends.