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Water being tested at BPS Office building

Currently, there are no students in the building, which houses offices for a host of support staff and rooms to conduct teacher training.

BUFFALO, NY — The Erie County Health Department says workers at a building owned by Buffalo Public Schools have nothing to fear, despite receiving a memo from the school district advising them of the possible presence of Legionella detected in the water of the facility.

"I feel that the building is very unsafe," said Jody Goldstein, an occupational therapist working with kids throughout the Buffalo Public Schools, but who is based in the more than century-old building at 333 Clinton Street.

Opened in 1912 as Buffalo Technical High School, the building also served for several years as the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.

Currently, there are no students in the building, only offices for a host support staff and rooms to conduct teacher training.

"We've always had worries about asbestos and lead in the building, however just yesterday we received a memo that really made me nervous,” said Goldstein.

The memo, which she said was placed in the office mailboxes of staff and which she shared with us said in part, “The District is addressing a claim of Legionella bacteria, allegedly found in one water sample conducted by the resident custodial engineer."

Legionella is a bacteria which in rare cases, can cause a serious type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease.

"I would like to see us moved into a safe building at the very least we should be assured our working environment is safe that we are not going to get sick from working in a particular place," Goldstein said, while noting that she had been told there is at least one open complaint about the building being investigated by OSHA.

However, the Erie County Health Department says at this point, there is really nothing for Goldstein and others who work in the building to fear.

Through a spokesperson, Health Commissioner Dr. Gale R. Burstein said her department is aware of the situation, is monitoring it with the school district, and that “there is no evidence at this point of any threat to public health.”

Indeed, the memo sent out to staff further advises, “One sample cannot be used as an indicator of risk....we have no information about the specimen collection technique, or the validity of the lab test...therefore, we cannot assume this result is accurate or valid."

The memo goes on to say that out of an abundance of caution, the water temperature in the hot water system has been raised to 170 degrees, that lines have been flushed, that more tests will be conducted...and that it is expected that there will be no interruption of operations and services at the building.

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