Fredericksburg officials have closed the Circuit Court's jury room indefinitely beginning today because of mold levels present there.The city received air quality test results yesterday, Director of Parks and Public Facilities Bob Antozzi reported at the City Council meeting last night.

Antozzi said the tests measured the total fungal spore count outside the courthouse building and compared it to the total fungal spore counts of five areas of the courthouse building.

Results of the tests revealed that four of the five courthouse areas had total fungal spore counts less than that of the outside air but indicated that the jury room's total fungal spore count surpassed that of the outside air.

"It is questionable whether or not it is hazardous and thought not to be," Antozzi said. "But it is an environment for expansion, and there's no guarantee. So it's a smart thing to do to go ahead and clean and sanitize it."

Antozzi said city officials will follow a protocol to clean and sanitize the jury room while acting to contain the fungal spores found there.

Circuit Court Clerk Sharron Mitchell told the council her staff members were experiencing unusual symptoms, including rashes, hives, eye infections, sinus problems and nausea that she attributes to poor courthouse conditions. She stated that these symptoms sometimes persist for hours or days after exposure to the courthouse but do not develop on weekends.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/062007/06132007/292179