Anne- I would reinforce other comments on both the physical and the biological hazards. I wouldn't minimize the risk of biological hazards any more than the physical hazards. I am sure there are others with far more experience and specific knowledge, but I recall reading articles about archeologists contracting diptheria from 100plus year old deposits. Today, younger workers might not have been immunized against pathogens in the deposits that have otherwise been eliminated (smallpox?), other workers may be vulnerable to diseases that are frighteningly on the rise again that are not responding well to modern treatments (TB) and still other workers who have not grown up in the region may be susceptible to endemic local pathogens that are in the deposits (Valley Fever). It may be relevant that OSHA standards now require us to have a standard plan for precautionary measures for workers exposed to "Bloodbourne Pathogens." Here in BLM that means those of us who do custodial work at "vault toilets" at recreation sites. One required measure is Hepatitis B Vacination series as part of a formal Exposure Control Plan (consideration of things like protective gloves, goggles [in case infected material is splashed in eyes], thorough cleaning of tools, clothes and protective equipment with bleach, face masks, coveralls, not smoking or eating until clean-up is done and so on). When I am cleaning the upstairs portion of a vault toilet I am not mucking in it all day and breathing the air all day, and I think these precautions are important. There are also dangers in the precautions. One of our custodial workers had an allergic reaction to the second Hepatitis injection (no problem with the first, and this was not unprecedented to the medical practitioners in even our small community) I think I would check with people about the greatest precautions you should consider, instead of the minimum precautions. If you haven't already checked try your public health nurse and your state environmental health agengy sanitarians. Hope this helps.
Mark
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From: Anne Duffield-Stoll[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, February 21, 1997 8:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: CESSPOOLS?
Hello out there. We are excavating a kitchen dump on top of a cesspool dating
1891 - 1927 here on the campus of the University of La Verne. I say cesspool
because the County of Los Angeles Health Dept. tells me it's too early for a
septic tank and that the main difference is a cesspool had no floor, only walls
and roof. I've lowered a video camera down in and of course can't tell yet
whether there is a floor or not. Questions---no methane gas detected, if we
get some big holes in the roof, OK to dig and screen? Would you do it? Am I
missing an obvious health risk here? The cesspool was built for the Lordsburg
Hotel, never used as a hotel, served as a college from 1891 until demolished in
1927. As to what I saw with the camera, "Things! Wonderful things!"
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