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A new investigation is under way at Lane Community College, where an unknown health hazard within the health professions building has caused intermittent illnesses for decades. Despite hundreds of tests and renovations totaling millions of dollars, the college has not yet discovered why employees are becoming sick in Building 4.

Employees who work 40 hours per week in the 鈥渟ick building鈥� have reported skin irritation, upper respiratory problems, itchy or burning eyes, nasal irritation, and headaches or uneasiness when occupying the structure for extended periods of time.

The health problems seem to come and go in waves, and impact groups ranging from six to 20 people at a time. The college has received few complaints 鈥� if any 鈥� from students or instructors who are in the building for only a couple of hours at a time, according to Dennis Carr, LCC’s chief human resources officer.

The building, constructed in 1968, was remodeled in summer 2010, partly to eradicate unseen irritants. Lease Crutcher Lewis was the general contractor for the project, which involved a mechanical system upgrade and the addition of five classrooms.

A major piece of the mechanical work, according to project manager Matt Baker, involved replacement of four existing air handlers with a new one able to handle 35,000 cubic feet per minute.

By December, however, tests revealed that mold was continuing to grow in one of the dental labs on the ground floor. Additional work during the college’s winter break completely remediated that problem.

But then, this past spring, a group of full-time Building 4 employees reported symptoms. Those with severe issues were relocated, and others were given accommodations in other campus buildings for the summer.

The classrooms are continuing to be used, and Carr said he does not foresee a need to close Building 4.

In June, three consultants began a new round of intensive assessments. PCA Industrial Hygiene Consultants, Balzhiser and Hubbard Engineers, and the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division are each working to determine why air quality problems have persisted in the building.

Carr said that consultants have already laid out 82 action items to assess every aspect of the building’s infrastructure and how it operates. Final costs for the assessments and necessary remediation work will be worked out at the end of the summer.

Balzhiser and Hubbard assisted with the original design of the HVAC system, and part of its work this summer involves sending a camera through the HVAC system in an effort to examine every inch of it. The industrial hygienist will investigate ventilation issues, airborne particulate and mold spore counts, and other issues that may raise a red flag.

In an effort to grow its health professions program, LCC last summer opened a new Health and Wellness Center, which is connected to Building 4 by a footbridge. The center’s design was heavily influenced by indoor air quality concerns 鈥� most notably in the 40-foot-high 鈥渓ung鈥� that runs the full east-west length of the building.

When windows are open, the lung acts like a chimney by drawing fresh, cool air through classrooms and offices and then releasing warm, contaminated air out its top.

Although he wasn’t informed about all of the problems with Building 4, Jon Wiener, SRG Partnership design principal and Health and Wellness Center project manager, said LCC officials were very concerned about indoor air quality in the new building.

鈥淲e weren’t told details, but the history (of Building 4) influenced their overall attitude toward the new building,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were trying to do everything they could to make sure the indoor air quality was as good as it could be. It became clear that they were taking the issue to heart.鈥�

Carr emphasized that the Health and Wellness Center was not built in response to any concerns about Building 4, and added that the new building is a testament to improvements in architecture and construction practices over the past 40 years.

The college is hoping to learn how to resolve the older building’s mysterious health issues by the time fall classes begin.