State officials have disclosed the presence of Legionella bacteria at the State Center office complex in Baltimore, confirming that it was found at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) headquarters building.

But the finding of the bacteria that can cause Legionnaire’s disease, revealed in several emails to employees yesterday, has heightened concerns that health officials have kept MDH workers in the dark about water quality problems in the building that go back months and possibly years.

“We were told in January in an email about a ‘lack of potable water’ at our building,” said an employee who works at 201 West Preston Street and asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “We need to know how long this problem has been going on.”

The Legionella finding was announced to employees on Friday through an email stating the health-harming bacteria had been found in the water at two State Center buildings.

The email did not specify whether MDH’s 201 West Preston Street building was one of them, but advised employees to stay out of the office and telework through today (November 13).

Employees were also advised to stay away from three other buildings in the sprawling state government complex: 300 West Preston Street, 301 West Preston Street and 1100 North Eutaw Street.

Testing by an independent industrial hygienist called in by the the Department of General Services (DGS) had found the potentially health-harming bacteria, the emailed notice to MDH workers said.

Legionella can cause Legionnaire’s disease, named after a fatal outbreak that took place during the 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia.

The respiratory disease can be fatal in 1 in 10 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says, though rare, the disease is currently on the rise.

Legionella can form in warm, stagnant water that is not properly disinfected. When sinks are turned on or toilets flushed, the bacteria can be transmitted through the air and inhaled.

Yesterday, their first workday following the Veterans Day weekend, MDH employees received a follow-up email, this time confirming that Legionella had been found at their building:

“Water flushing and sanitization activities occurred over the holiday weekend,” so employees could now report as normal back to work, the email said.

“Individuals should not drink the water until further notice,” it also said, noting that bottled water has been distributed.

“Abundance of caution”

A DGS spokesman, Eric Solomon, told The Brew that “slightly elevated levels” of Legionella were found during “periodic testing” at 201 West Preston Street on Friday.

He said the testing was not conducted as part of a complaint, and that DGS knew of no reports of illness that would indicate an outbreak.

Upon the advice of health officials, Solomon said, the building was re-opened yesterday.

MDH employees are advised to drink bottled water and wash their hands with warm water and soap or use hand sanitizer until the results of new testing come back.

Asked specifically about the 301 West Preston Street building, Solomon said, that “out of an abundance of caution,” it was to be closed through today for the system to be flushed and sanitized.

He noted that it had been tested in September and no high Legionella levels were detected.

As for the 300 West Preston Street building, Solomon said, tests conducted last Friday did not show high levels of Legionella. Its system is being flushed and sanitized tomorrow.

The other building at the complex, 1100 North Eutaw Street, will have its system flushed and sanitized on Monday.

Solomon has not responded to a follow-up question from The Brew asking why MDH’s original email said two buildings had traces of Legionella.

“There’s no transparency”

An MDH employee said people who work at West Preston Street remain troubled, in part because of the continued advisory against drinking the building’s water.

The building’s bathroom sinks are operational, and employees use them to wash their hands as well as coffee cups and dishes.

But employees’ deeper concern is the failure by MDH officials to provide details about the “lack of potable water” casually discussed for years and acknowledged specifically by an agency official in a January 25, 2024 email obtained by The Brew:

“This week we have experienced a myriad of building issues, including elevator malfunctions, restroom outages, temperature fluctuations and the continued lack of potable water at 201 West Preston Street,” the email said (emphasis ours).

Shortly afterwards, filtered water dispensers appeared on every floor with no explanation provided.

“They never really got back to us about why the water was not potable. What was in it, why we had these filters, how long there had been these problems with the water,” the MDH employee said.

The agency staffer reflected on possible risks, especially for those who had worked in the building for many years and dined at its now-closed cafeteria.

The disclosure of Legionella raises more questions and worries.

“Was it Legionella when they were talking about ‘non-potable water’ in January? Or something else? Do those filters filter out Legionella? Or are they like a Britta filter,” the employee wondered.

“It’s unclear how long the issue lasted, and how many people, if any, got sick. In short, there’s no transparency about this.”

New Maintenance Manager

Asked the following questions by The Brew, Solomon said he couldn’t answer them and would get back to us:

• Why was 201 West Preston’s water said to be “non-potable” eight months ago and water filtering devices brought in?

• Was Legionella found at the time?

• How often is testing done at the State Center buildings and when was the last time it was conducted at 201 West Preston Street?

The spokesman suggested that testing procedures have tightened up lately.

“I can’t speak about what happened then,” said Solomon, explaining that he started work on the same day in September as the new DGS official in charge of Facilities Management, Muhammed Abdullateef.

“There’s definitely been more checks and testing throughout these old buildings since he’s come on board,” Solomon said. “I think it’s going to be more of a regular maintenance thing.”

Solomon was able to answer some questions about which agencies, in addition to MDH and DGS, are still working in the dilapidated State Center buildings.

They include the Department of Budget Management and the Labor Department. Altogether, about 4,500 employees are scattered through the complex.

-To contact a reporter: editors@baltimorebrew.com