The federal government knowingly withheld informing the tenants in one of its Detroit office buildings contained contaminated water that put their health at risk.
The Washington Times reported the General Services Administration (GSA) first tested and confirmed the presence of Legionella (the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease) in the cooling towers of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building last August, but did not notify the tenants until Nov. 1. The GSA tested the building’s faucets and drinking fountains a week later but did not get the results until Nov. 21 and only shared the data on Nov. 29. From the 121 water outlets tested by the GSA, 20 tested positive for Legionella, two had elevated levels of lead, and eight had unsafe levels of copper.
The GSA’s inspector general faulted “deficiencies” in the Public Buildings Service’s policies that failed to convey “a sense of urgency” over the health risks.
“GSA acknowledges that a more timely notification to building occupants would have been appropriate as it determined what corrective action was required to reduce risk,” said a GSA official.
The 27-story McNamara Building was built in 1976 and its tenants include the Army Corps of Engineers, FBI and Social Security Administration.
Photo: GSA
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