I truely feel for these workers. I also worked in a bldg. for 2 years. Myself and co-workers were very ill and some of us still are. Just like this situation our employer lied about the reports to everyone and claimed it had nothing to do with the mold. They will all have to answer to the truth sooner or later. Mold is everywhere, but when mold that should live outside is allowed to live inside it can kill. I guess these employers are blind to the increased medical cost, etc. that it is costing them. We are in the process of filing a class action suit against the building owners. I am sure it will take forever. And of course, I worked for one of the top insurance benefit providers in the U.S.

"Not to minimize the employees' concerns, but mold is everywhere especially down here in the south," said Bergen.

But that's exactly what she did.

I'm guessing she'd be more worried about the toxic environment if she had to work in it.

The quickest way to get action is to move the ATC director's desk to the spot closest to the mold. I guarantee it wouldn't take another three weeks to start working on eradicating the mold from the building! Reporters should have aske Kathleen Bergen of she would accept this mold being anywhere near her kitchen.

"Not to minimize the employees' concerns, but mold is everywhere especially down here in the south," said Bergen.

Uh, no. Mold is not everywhere. Mold occurs in buildings like these when adverse conditions are ignored.

Sounds like a case of "Not my problem."

Crumbling infrastructure is a direct result of starting wars for profit...obviously not your profit though. Watch out for the bad black type mold and put up a plaque honoring the first one dead, because the fix will start right after the funeral.

It's a shame that the ATC can not get the conditions improved, they certainly deserve it and they deserve the pay they have been promised. I personally, feel better if I know there is an intelligent ATC watching the radar than some minimal educated individual who earns $14 p/hr, saving the FAA money, yet putting ALL our lives at risk. Wake Up people, you get what you pay for.

This is nothing new. I worked in this particular building located in Hampton, Georgia for twelve years beginning in 1969. Every time it would rain hard the trash cans would have to be moved under the leaks, not only in the control room but also in the administrative offices located on the lower floor.

typical Bush administration responses. remember this crap next time we mark ballots.

I am just one of the lowly "hamsters" working as an air traffic controller at this facility. We have been dealing with this for years. It is common to walk in and begin coughing within minutes. Sneezing is going on from everyone. Over half the workforce is on some type of allergy medication and has been for years. This has been more than just a distraction. Now that we know we have a sick building this has become dangerous.

The FAA's answer to solving this so far has been to lower the air temperature in the building to slow the mold growth. I guess we just aren't going to be poisoned as quickly now. Of course, we aren't allowed to wear any warm sweatshirts-that would interfere with the FAA's decree that we stay "professional looking" even though we have no visitors. Yep, those nice warm jackets with logos are out also.

Nothing like getting all dressed up on Saturday nights to go to a big, cold radar room and worrying if tonight is the night you just breathe in that last little bit of mold that pushes your health over the edge for good. But, it's all OK- Kathleen Bergan is "working" on it. She must have some extensive schooling though. Look how easily she dismisses this as just another example of "mold is everywhere especially down here in the south".

Damn, silly me. I guess I am just a whiner

The FAA has lots of buildings that are junk, some dangerous. The FAA for the last several years has requested less than congress has budgeted. All these problem facilities could have been fixed if the FAA hadn't been trying to be penny wise with all these problems.

DW: In response to your post, the FAA is funded by the Airport and Airways Trust Fund. Users, such as airlines pay into this fund every time you buy an airline ticket. There is also an excise tax on fuel that feeds the fund as well as other fees. The General Aviation portion of the FAA budget is funded through the General Fund (income tax, etc.),and is a very small portion of the overall fund, averages around 15 - 18%. The AATF has had a huge surplus for years. That was one of the huge beef's PATCO had with the FAA leading up to the 1981 strike and the eventual firing of 14,500 air traffic controllers by Reagan. Some of the things we were trying to get the FAA to do was to repair buildings such as the one in this story as well as upgrade the radar equipment we had to operate with. The FAA wouldn't budge, and the fund surplus has continued to grow. It's a convenient fund to use whenever the president needs a little capital to fund a war that Congress is reluctant to fund. I'm not sure how much is in the fund today, I'd have to go to the GAO website to find out, but it's fairly substantial.

We don't "fix" things in this country anymore, we just talk, point fingers and blame. Why isn't OSHA involved? If that agency DID it's job, it would shut down the facility until it was safe to work in - or try a class action law suit - seems politicians listen to lawyers, they sure as hell don't listen to anybody else! Why do we have OSHA if it allows this, sue the government maybe we could keep a few dollars at home!

If toxic mold is growing beneath the raised floor of the control room, then some authoritative state or federal agency needs to simply red-tag the building until the problem is fixed. If the FAA does not have backup facilities or other means to deal with that, then all of the top FAA execs need to be fired on the spot. This is what was wrong with Reagan's brash reaction to the 1981 PATCO strike: the FAA refused to fix a legitimate problem then also, and they have learned that they can simply get away with such recklessness without facing accountability. Unless someone makes the FAA accountable in some really dramatic way, the nation's air infrastructure will simple crumble.

As usual, Air Traffic Controllers and their union prove to be a bunch of cry-babies. I think there might be a few jobs in the real world that have to cope with just a little harsher conditions than a little mold, and get paid one heck of a lot less than ATC wages in the process. Get real, and get back to work you over-paid brats!

Why don't all of the workers organize a walk-out? Just show up for work on Monday and REFUSE to go inside. Stand outside and protest. Why are people such sheep, looking for leadership in this country? Band together and do something about this.

Gee, probably no connection between controller 'concerns' about mold and their lack of success in negotiating a new contract with the FAA. Give them all another $10 a month and they will shut up. It is all about the money for the controllers, nothing else. The smartest thing that could happen would be to contract out ALL air traffic control. It would be better, less costly and less combative. Ever meet a controller who wasn't complaining about SOMETHING?

We are having similar problems. We have many upper respiratory problems and health issues when you are in sick buildings.

Every time I drive by the facility there appears to be a whole lot of smokers, so is it mold or cigarettes causing the illness.

Most professional workers change jobs when working conditions jeopardize their health. Only Illegal immigrants and people with the least amount of education would stay in a job that endangers their health to the degree purported by this article. So either these people are on same level as they guy who has a 6th grade education and cleans up toxic waste to the detriment of his own health, they are exaggerating or both lol

Controllers are over paid and under worked. Were else can a dope with a high school eduction get a $150,000 a hear job and complain about it all the time. They should all be fired. Again.

YES! agreed!!! Fire them all again! I used to be democrat until I seen how the republicans stand up to these over paid pre-madonas!!! Now I vote republican every time~!