"Not a 'noxious fume' but an airborne contaminant", expert claims

One local medical expert has asserted that the substance detected at Cornwall Regional Hospital is not a "noxious fume", as has been commonly described, but an airourne contaminant.

Another appropriate phrase would be "airborne toxin", according to Dr. Alverston Bailey,   lecturer in Toxicology at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTECH).

Dr. Bailey was speaking a short while ago on RJR's Beyond the Headlines.

"The truth is, it is not fumes; it is either a gas or vapour or dust that is causing the problem," Dr. Bailey insisted.

Dr. Bailey said, having interviewed doctors working at the St. James based hospital, who themselves have been affected by the contaminant, he was now convinced that "all the symptoms that were described... were classic sick building syndrome symptoms symptoms."

The toxicants were either from outside or inside the building, he said, but expressed the view that it was more likely to be emanating from inside the building, which requires investigations as to where inside the building the problem was located.

There are many possible causes, he suggested: a gas, particles being emitted from the airconditioning unit, or radiation.

He listed several common indoor air pollutants such as mold, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, asbestos and fibres, carbon dioxide, ozone and biological pollutants.'

"They all can be accurately identified using proper indoor air sampling, and I can't understand why, for so many months, we are uncertain as to the root cause of the problem and have not done appropriate air sampling in order to determine what is causing this to happen," he declared.

Operations at Cornwall Regional, the major hospital in Western Jamaica, have been severely affected by the crisis, with various services being transferred to nearby locations.

Workers continue to grapple with eye and skin irritations, such as rashes.

The health authorities have theorised that the irritation is being caused by an old ventilation system, a conclusion that Dr. Bailey appears to be disputing.

Further investigations are being conducted by consultants from various fields of expertise.