"One of the responsibilities of the Office of Compliance is to make sure legislative branch employees have a safe work environment," Grassley said. "The health concerns about the Hart building and irradiated mail are an appropriate target for investigation by that office. An independent review can help shed light on what kind of health risks might exist and if they exist, how to solve them. The results should ease a lot of worries."
Grassley learned that in a preliminary estimate, from Jan. 22 to Feb. 4, approximately 73 staff members working in all three Senate office buildings complained to the Attending Physician's Office of headaches, skin rashes, dry mouth and eye irritation after handling irradiated mail. Examining health officials attributed some of the complaints to colds and flu and dry weather.
Soon after the Hart building re-opened after the anthrax clean-up, between 50 and 60 staff members complained of ill health effects such as dry eyes, dry throats and headaches. Building managers have been recirculating air in the building, and complaints have decreased.
Grassley was the chief Senate author of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which became law and applied 11 civil rights, labor and workplace laws to employees of the federal legislative branch. The law created the Office of Compliance for enforcement.
Grassley urged any legislative branch employees with concerns about their health, either related to the anthrax clean-up of the Hart building or the handling of irradiated mail, to contact the Office of Compliance at 202/724-9250. Confidentiality is assured. For more information, see www.compliance.gov.
The text of Grassley's letter requesting an investigation follows.
February 11, 2002
Gary Green
General Counsel
Office of Compliance
110 Second Street, SE
Room LA-200
Washington, DC 20540
Dear Mr. Green:
I request that the Office of Compliance conduct an investigation into the health complaints of employees of the United States Senate.
As you know, at least 73 Senate employees have reported symptoms such as headaches, skin rashes, dry mouth and eye irritation after handling irradiated mail. Also, between 50 and 60 employees in the Hart Building have complained of dry eyes, dry throats and head aches.
Various officials and agencies have proposed a number of possible causes for these problems, including adverse reactions to irradiated mail, leftover contaminants from the chlorine dioxide used to kill anthrax spores in the Hart building, the flu and colds.
As more questions are raised about the health complaints, their cause and the response of various agencies, I believe it would be best for an independent agency such as the Office of Compliance to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
I hope that your expertise and independence will enable you to measure and evaluate the health complaints, determine their cause and propose solutions.
During your inquiry, I ask that you include, but not limit your investigation to: the process of irradiating mail and the health problems it can cause; any measures that agencies, employers and employees can take to reduce mail-related health problems; the air quality of the Hart building and previous air quality tests; and whether adequate measures have been taken to respond to the complaints.
Also, I ask that you review the response of the various agencies that have been involved in the Hart clean-up and health complaints. Those agencies are: the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the United States Postal Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. If you determine that reviewing the response of other government agencies would be helpful, I encourage you to do so.
While I anticipate you will receive full cooperation from all agencies and officials involved, please inform me if you meet with any resistance.
It is my understanding that you plan a similar investigation of health complaints of United States House employees, and that you plan to utilize the resources of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and will be working with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). I encourage you to use all the resources of the government at your disposal.
I appreciate your willingness to examine this matter. If you have any questions, please contact John Drake or Jill Gerber of my staff at (202) 224-5315.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate