Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, speaks at a December rally in Baltimore about low staffing levels and unsafe working conditions in state buildings. File photo by Danielle J. Brown.
Two District Court buildings in Baltimore have been declared clear of unsafe levels of legionella in their water systems, following four buildings at the State Center complex that were cleared of the bacteria over the last four weeks.
A union representing state workers said it is pleased to see the progress for those six buildings, the only ones that have been tested for the bacteria so far. But the union says more testing needs to be done in other state buildings to ensure all employees are working in a safe environment.
“We’re happy that these buildings were cleared,” a representative with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 said Thursday. “We’re worried about other buildings. There needs to be more testing.”
Eric Solomon, communications director for the Department of General Services, said in an email Thursday that test results from the District Court buildings at 5800 Wabash Ave. and 700 E. Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore “were all within the normal limits” for safe drinking water, which he said was “good news for staff at the two District Court buildings.”
“All restrictions have been lifted, meaning the water is drinkable,” Solomon said in the Thursday email.
Legionella is a bacteria that can grow in stagnant water systems and lead to severe illness or even death among certain vulnerable people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, there have been no employee illnesses due to exposure to Legionella within a state building.
Members of AFSCME Chapter 3 said the bacteria’s presence at State Center and the two District Court buildings speaks to larger concerns about unsafe staffing levels and working conditions within state facilities.
The union fears Legionella may be present in other state buildings but have not been tested yet, so there is no way to know whether the water is safe to drink.
In a follow-up email, Solomon noted that the initial testing of State Center and the District Court buildings was part of baseline testing to help measure water quality in state facilities, and that a “more extensive plan” to test more buildings throughout the state is under development.