A contract worker at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba has died from blastomycosis. This is a rare outbreak, a fungal infection that has affected nearly 100 of his employees at the factory.
The contractor, whose name has not been released, died “recently,” Public Health Delta and Menominee County officials said in a statement.
“Everyone at Billerud is deeply saddened by this news,” said Brian Peterson, Vice President of Operations, Billerud Escanaba Paper Mill. We hold this individual, his family, colleagues and friends in our hearts.”
Officials in Billerud announced on Friday that the factory — the largest manufacturing employer in the northern Midlands with nearly 900 employees — will be temporarily closed for up to three weeks. Authorities will conduct a thorough cleaning of the extensive facility and its ventilation system, test for influx of disease-causing Blastomyces fungal spores, and assess employee health hazards.
How do people get blastomycosis?
In addition to local health departments, agencies involved include the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Blastomycosis is a disease caused by a fungus found in soil and decaying wood in parts of the eastern United States and Canada. According to the CDCpeople contract blastomycosis after breathing in microscopic fungal spores in the air, often after participating in activities that disturb the soil. It changes and stays in the lungs or travels through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, such as the skin, bones, joints, organs, brain, and spinal cord.
Most people who inhale Blastomyces spores do not get sick, but they do get colds, flu, or other more common respiratory illnesses, such as fever, cough, night sweats, muscle or joint pain, chest pain, and extreme fatigue. Some people develop symptoms similar to Blastomycosis can be serious in some people, especially those with weakened immune systems.
Treatment of blastomycosis is with antifungal drugs in courses that take six months to a year.
States tracking blastomycosis report only about 1-2 cases per 100,000 population per year. Deaths from the disease are similarly rare, and the CDC found that from 1990 to 2010, he had 1,216 blastomycosis-related deaths in the United States.
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Factories continued to operate after the outbreak began
The first case involving an employee at the Bireldo plant was diagnosed with atypical pneumonia early last month. Since then, health officials have confirmed to date that 21 Billerud employees have been infected with blastomycosis through biopsies and laboratory analyses, and 76 more probable cases. , determined that the employee was symptomatic and tested positive for antibodies or antigens in saliva or urine. Twelve of his cases required hospitalization. All infected are either contractors, employees, or visitors to the Billerud Paper Mill.
The factory initially continued operations for several weeks after learning of the blastomycosis case and encouraged employees to wear N95 respirators as the outbreak investigation and cleanup continued. Company officials said they are following recommendations from public health and occupational safety officials.
This outbreak is considered highly unusual because blastomycosis does not usually spread from person to person, indicating that many people were exposed to the same spore-bearing material. Officials in Billerud said on Friday there had never been an outbreak of blastomycosis of this type or magnitude in a US industrial setting.
The National Steelworkers Union on Saturday called for inspections and cleanings at paper mills across the industry. The union said it was cooperating with authorities on a search to determine the exact source of the outbreak.
USW International Vice President Leeann Foster, who leads negotiations for the USW’s paper division, said: “There are many potentially serious hazards in the paper industry, but we have made amazing progress to improve safety.” The situation is no exception: the problem needs to be identified and eliminated before it harms more workers.”
Contact Keith Matheny: [email protected]
