PEP, March 2004: Toxic Precinct: Union calls for health investigation.

On Jan. 11 and 13, the 24th Police Precinct made headlines as the “Toxic precinct” where workers were “Sickened by a station curse.” The stories in the New York Post said clusters of brain tumors, miscarriages, brain aneurysms and facial paralysis had hit Police Officers and Firefighters housed in the same building on West 100th Street.

The Post said nothing about the civilian employees at the precinct, but DC 37 responded immediately. Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 and the DC 37 Safety and Health Dept. and Clerical Division went to work for the members there.

Grievance Rep Pat Solomon got a lot of the information together for the union and notified Assistant Director Ron Arnero. The union has filed a comprehensive grievance on the safety issues there.

In a follow-up story on Jan. 25, the Post quoted Safety Director Lee Clarke: “Everybody should be extremely concerned and the city, as an employer, should assist us and not drag their feet on this.”

At a Jan. 30 meeting of Local 1549 members, it was clear that the health concerns were no surprise to clerical employees at the precinct. “Members raised issues of cleanliness and VDT violations and expressed concerns about the firing range at the precinct. They all had their suspicions but they never realized the scope of the problems,” said Mr. Arnero.

Police Administrative Aide Reneé Ivory has worked at the 24th for 22 years. “I was recently diagnosed with a heart condition,” she said. “I handle supplies and the office where they are stored is right next to the firing range. I’m there every day.” She is also concerned about the lack of custodial care and the poor air quality. “I don’t know what I’m breathing in. A lot of people have been sick around here. We don’t know what’s causing it,”she said.

Belinda Hernandez is another longtimer at the 24th Pct. “We want the results of any studies to be made available to all of us,” she said. The unions have called for an investigation by the state’s Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau, and PESH is requesting the results of any environmental tests performed at the precinct by the Police Dept. or other city agencies.

DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept. and the United Firefighters Association have contacted the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Office of Citywide Occupational Safety and Health and the city Dept. of Health.

Ms. Clarke and Epidemiologist Dr. James Cone of the DOH agree that NIOSH is the proper agency to lead the investigation. “They have the expertise to evaluate the health hazards,” said Lee Clarke. “However, it’s yet another underfunded, understaffed and overburdened agency — like all the other agencies that help workers.”