Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges Mold Cover-Up at Pediatric Hospital

A class-action lawsuit filed Monday alleges that Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle covered up a mold infestation that resulted in the deaths of six patients, CNN reports.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of patients affected by Aspergillus mold present in the hospital’s air-handling system. It claims that the hospital knew about the mold since at least 2005, when a family sued the hospital after their child developed an Aspergillus infection while a patient at the hospital. The hospital confidentially settled the lawsuit in 2008.

Seattle Children’s Hospital closed its operating rooms twice this year after air tests detected the common mold in the air. One patient died and six more were sickened in that outbreak. But between 2001 and 2014, seven patients developed the same infection and five of those children died.

According to the lawsuit, a professional engineering consultant working for the hospital in 2002 and 2003 had concerns about the hospital’s air-handling system, including leaks, plugged screens, live and dead birds in the fan shafts, and overall dirty conditions of the units. The hospital’s lead engineer also identified bird debris in the units and said they were “rotting out.”

Aspergillus is commonly found in the environment and does not affect most people. However, those with weakened immune systems, damaged lungs, or asthma are more likely to get sick after breathing in the mold. Health problems linked to the fungus include allergic reactions and lung infections.