TAIPEI PCC SAFETY AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY

S E C R E T AIT TAIPEI 001142 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR OBO/OM/SHEM; OBO/OM/FAC; OBO/OM/AM/EAP DEPT ALSO FOR EAP/EX - MARK MITCHELL BANGKOK FOR RIMC E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2016 TAGS: ABLD AMED AMGT KSAF KRIM SUBJECT: TAIPEI PCC SAFETY AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY REF: A. SECSTATE 46635 ¶B. SECSTATE 21660 ¶C. 05 TAIPEI 1816 Classified By: IPO Michael R. Wheeler for reason 1.4(G)(E) ¶1. (C) Per REFTEL A, AIT would like see the issue of indoor air quality (IAQ) in Taipei's ABCD addressed. Taipei was due for a complete PCC renovation and shielded enclosure (ABCD) replacement in 2004. It needed it; Taiwan is a high-humidity environment and the Soundsoak wall panels date back to the Carter administration. This renovation was cancelled and reallocated when rumors of an impending new office building picked up steam. Our new building did not make the cut that year, nor did it make the FY07 list, meaning AIT will be in its current location until at least 2012 assuming we get funding in FY08 and there are no construction delays. ¶2. (S) With a plan for ABCD work in place, post paid for a facelift of IPC's office space fully expecting OBO to take care of the rest of the PCC and ABCD as promised. In early 2005 a small earthquake slightly cracked a pipe to the political section's toilet which is directly above the ABCD. The water pooled and slowly found its way into the ABCD through the seams, destroying some panels and aggravating the existing mold problem. By the time the water leak became visible it had contaminated a large number of panels including the fresh air intake duct, which is not a metal duct but a wood-framed Soundsoak plenum. An ATO team recently came out and replaced the Soundsoak on the TCU side of the enclosure, but the problem has not been addressed for IPC. ¶3. (C) At least one IMS has a known mold spore allergy and can only spend short times in the ABCD without nasal and eye irritation. Recently, the visiting RIMC Bangkok Operations Officer toured the IPC and described the ABCD's condition as "horrible," but unfortunately it is a facilities issue and beyond the scope of Information Management. Post has been actively fighting this mold problem for years. We've tried cleaning the panels and using anti-fungals, and the facilities manager cut out some infected sections and spackled them. We regularly clean our fan coil units and replace the filters. None of these efforts has led to any improvement in air quality. Temperatures in the ABCD never drop below the mid-80s because of inadequate chiller capacity. ¶4. (S) There is currently a plan to replace the generators, power filters, and chillers (REFTEL B). There is a Model 1 incinerator with an asbestos blanket on the chimney that needs to be removed as part of the power upgrade project. This may or may not be an issue, depending on the condition of the asbestos blanket. ¶5. (S) A remodel of the CTF funded by RTC is also in the planning stages. There is no plan, however, to do anything about IPC's ABCD space. The whole ABCD should be replaced, but we realize that with the current budget situation that may not be possible. Taipei's ABCD has a shared IPC/TCU door - still broken (REFTEL C) - for which parts are no longer available. We don't have an emergency power shutoff switch and we can't find ballasts for our fluorescent lights, which are no longer OSHA certified because they ground out when replacing the bulb. At the very least, any remediation project scope should include replacing the Soundsoak, drop ceiling, fluorescent lights, ducting, carpet, fan coil units, and adding an emergency power kill switch. RTC estimates the upgrade to the IPC space can be added to their scope of work for about $20,000 if we can move quickly. If we can't, the cost will be $30,000 or more. ¶6. (C) Please advise if OBO can either add the ABCD work to the CTF renovation project or can send a team to complete the work as part of a separate project. The point of contact for these issues is IPO Mike Wheeler. YOUNG