COMMUNICATION

Confusion about the source of the odor might be due to emails sent by SAIC President Tony Jones. According to an one email sent by Jones on Tuesday, March 20, “The chemicals, which are well-known and commonly used cleaning materials, have been absorbed into the wooden floors in the mechanical rooms, making the odors hard to dissipate.” In another email sent to SAIC staff, faculty, and students Jones wrote, “Yesterday, Monday, it was clear that the bleach had soaked into the wood floors they were cleaning, and it was impossible to neutralize it.” In that same email Jones referred to Attack! 2000 as “a form of diluted chlorine bleach” which is “not toxic.”

According to Dr. Ginsburg, “This [Attack! 2000] has no connection to bleach, none whatsoever. It might have had a bleach odor but it has nothing to do with bleach.”

Ed McNulty, Senior Vice President for Planning and Chief Operating Officer, speaking on behalf of Jones said, “That was a mistake. What he meant to say was that it smelled like bleach. There is no chlorine bleach in this product.”

Surprisingly, no complaints have been made by SAIC staff or faculty to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA protects workers from occupational risks, including exposure to hazardous chemicals, although the organization does not protect students. Because no complaints have been made concerning the incident, either officially or unofficially, OSHA is not planning on investigating the Attack! 2000 incident.

May 2006