CA: Officials study valley fever outbreak at solar power projects in San Louis Obispo County

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,2746691.story

Officials study valley fever outbreak at solar power projects
The respiratory illness, caused by breathing fungal spores when desert soil is disturbed, has struck 28 workers at solar facilities being built in San Louis Obispo County.

By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2013, 8:37 p.m.

Epidemiologists are investigating an outbreak of valley fever that has sickened 28 workers at two large solar power construction sites in San Luis Obispo County.

Staff from the California Department of Public Health, and investigators from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and San Luis Obispo County visited the sites near the Carrizo Plain two months ago, officials said.

They identified the sites as the Topaz Solar Farm and California Valley Solar Ranch, two large-scale photovoltaic power plants whose construction often requires considerable scraping and clearing to make way for thousands of acres of solar panels...

[Emily]

Re: CA: Officials study valley fever outbreak at solar power projects in San Louis Obispo County

Questions about it were raised at a recent public hearing for a proposed solar project close to the town of Shoshone, near Death Valley National Park. Residents asked state officials what mitigation measures were in place to protect them and their families during the three-year construction project.

The response: Stock up on antifungal medication and buy dust masks.

Maybe the solar company could buy the masks and some HEPA filters for their homes.

[jeffrey]

Re: CA: Officials study valley fever outbreak at solar power projects in San Louis Obispo County

Maybe the solar company could buy the masks and some HEPA filters for their homes.

That would never happen! They told them to do it themselves. Valley Fever is very prevalent in SLO County and Kern County right now! My friends wife just died 6 mos ago after 5 years of sickness. She acquired it from dust from digging in ground which disrupted the spores! We lived there for many years.

[Emily]

Re: CA: Officials study valley fever outbreak at solar power projects in San Louis Obispo County

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend's loss, jeffrey, and all the suffering his wife must have gone through. Valley Fever seems to be a growing menace. It's so hard for the immune system to recognize fungi. I just read that people in WA state are getting Valley Fever here, too. Thinking about this thread inspired me to wear a mask when I weeded some mulch today and I will try to be consistent about that.

I sure wouldn't want to wear a mask for 3 years straight due to construction activities, though.