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Title: Atwater prison's air quality questioned

Source: http://www.modbee.com/

ATWATER — Government officials are investigating complaints that a computer recycling operation at the federal penitentiary here exposes inmates and guards to toxic contaminants. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration probe follows allegations by a safety manager at the Atwater prison that the plant kicks up dust containing lead, cadmium and barium. The hazardous metals, found in the computers dismantled by prison labor crews as they search for reusable parts, poses a health risk to 120 convicts and the prison staff in the vicinity of the contaminated air, said Leroy Smith, the prison safety official. Smith lodged a complaint with OSHA on Jan. 24. Investigators are reviewing the prison's response and could inspect the facility, said Frank Strasheim, an OSHA regional administrator. "That is part of the process if we are not satisfied with the results," Strasheim said. "What we are after when problems persist is corrective action." Smith said prison officials agreed to only superficial fixes and played down the safety risks in their response to OSHA. Officials at the prison did not return phone calls from the Los Angeles Times. "I don't see this as personal," Smith said. "I see it as my job. It's called protecting the safety of the staff and inmates to the best of my ability." Smith was alarmed in September when blood tests showed elevated levels of barium in three inmates working in the plant, he claimed. Lead, cadmium and barium were also found on surfaces around the facility, though at levels deemed acceptable for human health, he said. The findings prompted Smith and a second prison safety official to recommend the operation be shut down temporarily to address the problems. The computer salvaging plant is among a growing number operated by Unicor, a government-run corporation that has used inmate crews for business ventures at prisons nationwide since 1998. Inmates can earn up to $1 an hour breaking apart the computers and sorting the parts. Smith said prisoners were hesitant to speak out about their concerns out of fear of losing their recycling jobs, among the best paid in the corrections system. "I'm not a sympathizer by any means," he said, "but they are humans."