Black Hills Classified

Who is the victim?

I’m not trying to beat a dead pigeon over this, but I personally know someone who worked in a downtown Rapid City building. Her top floor “cube” was located directly below an air duct. We began to have some hot days back then in June 2008, and the roof top air conditioning units began to do their thing. In the late afternoons, early evenings, the pigeons would come to roost around the roof top air conditioning units.

My friend began to feel strangely ill. She repeatedly mentioned her discomfort and symptoms to management. She suggested that the air conditioning be checked. She was ignored for a few weeks, and then told by her supervisor that everything was fine now since new air conditioning filters were installed. A coworker said, “they’d better change them again, because there’s black things all over the floors.”

My friend’s problems didn’t go away, her symptoms became more disabling. Symptoms similar to Lyme Disease, Encephalitis, drastic vision changes, shaking, dizziness, neck stiffness, confusion, altered states of consciousness. She experienced reoccurring Flue-like symptoms that  would kick in at about the same time every evening. She remained undiagnosed after $15,000 or more in tests and visits to doctors and specialists.

She saved samples of a variety of debris that she found in her keyboard and on her desk surfaces. She turned these samples over to the Human Resources Department of her company. Nothing was said to her about the debris, except her termination two weeks later seemed to say a lot.

Many of the employees were reporting visits to their doctors. I believe she worked in what is referred to as a “Sick Building.”  My friend’s home also became a “Sick Building” that was invaded by a barrage of tiny insect-like bugs, toxic molds, fungi. “No see ums” is actually a term used to describe some of these bugs – sounds funny, but they are considered the “vampire” of the tiny biting flies.

My friend has found some peace over information gathered on every symptom she experienced and the likely causes. She’s still not completely well, but the “knowing”  has kept her sane.

Just a little of what’s known about pigeons:

Histoplasmosis. Droppings from pigeons carry spores of the systemic fungal disease called histoplasmosis, which can be contracted by breathing dusty pigeon droppings or soil contaminated by pigeons and/or starling poop.

Pigeons are known to transmit pigeon ornithosis, encephalitis, Newcastle disease, cryptococcosis, salmonella food poisoning, and other diseases.Pest management professionals who are performing site cleanup to remove bird droppings and nesting material are particularly vulnerable to these diseases and should take great care to wear adequate protective clothing.

Chemical pretreatments of sites should also be conducted to kill bacteria and viruses. The spores of histoplasmosis are inhaled typically when dried or when old roosts have been disturbed, as occurs during cleanings carried out prior to bird control applications.

Cryptococcosis. Another fungal disease found primarily in pigeon poop is cryptococcosis. More than 80% of established pigeon roosts have been found to contain this organism. When the dried droppings are inhaled, a respiratory disease usually occurs commencing with a lung infection which then spreads to the rest of the body, especially the nervous system.

Psittacosis. On December 16, 1987, a local California newspaper reported that a window cleaner with 30 years experience had 40% of his lung tissue destroyed after inhaling the bacteria psittacosis. The victim in this case was a fit, 55-year-old man who awoke one morning unable to breathe.The bacteria that causes psittacosis is found in the poop of pigeons, parrots and other birds and can be inhaled by breathing the air introduced by air conditioning systems which carry the organism from a bird roost. Pigeons most frequently roost on and around air conditioning systems on roofs of city buildings, domestic houses and other structures, which leads to the transmittal of this bacteria.

via How to Get Rid of Pigeons – Getting Rid Of Pests.