Inhalation of the airborne spores of the fungus Blastomyces has killed a worker and hospitalized 12 others at a large paper mill in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Local public health authorities announced last week that were 27 confirmed and 76 suspected cases of the respiratory illness called Blastomycosis among the plant’s nearly 900 employees.
Sickness is Not Contagious
The disease, which is not transmissible from person to person, is associated with the fungus that thrives in moist, decomposing, logs, brush, leaves, and sometimes soil.Disturbing the fungus’ habitat releases spores that float in the air and can be inhaled by humans and certain animals, especially dogs.
Forestry workers, hikers, hunters, campers, and excavators are most likely to come in contact with the spores.
Contracting the disease is rare and most people who breathe in small amounts of the spores are seldom affected.
In a typical year, Michigan’s 10 million people might see a couple of dozen cases, according to state public health officials.
America’s First Industrial Outbreak
In an April 13 press release, the Swedish-owned Billerud Mill—located in Escanaba, Michigan (pop. 12,461)—said “There has never been an industrial outbreak of this nature documented anywhere in the United States.”Because the exact “source of the infection has not been established,” as a precautionary measure the plant will voluntarily close for three weeks.
Communications Director Shawn Hall told The Epoch Times that all workers will continue to be paid and receive benefits during that period.
The overall rarity of infections makes diagnosing Blastomycosis difficult. It is often mistaken for simple pneumonia, influenza, or tuberculosis.
Once in the lungs, the host’s body temperature serves to incubate the fungus into transitioning into an invasive yeast that can spread to the joints, bones, spinal cord, and brain.
Incubation time is from 3 to 15 weeks.
Testing for the infection is done through a urine antigen analysis.
There is no vaccine to immunize people against Blastomycosis.
A Treatable Illness
Mild cases can be treated with a prescription medicine, while severe cases are treated intravenously with a more powerful but riskier drug.Nearly half of those infected exhibit no symptoms.
Recovery without treatment does happen and relapse is rare.
Even with treatment, full recovery can take six months to one year.
The illness is most dangerous to the elderly and patients with underlying health problems.
The fatality rate can be between 4 and 22 percent.
From 1990 to 2010, 1,216 Americans died from Blastomycosis, according to the CDC.
While temporarily closed, the mill will undergo a deep cleaning of its high-traffic areas. HVAC filters will be replaced, and all raw materials coming into the facility will be tested.
And an onsite “Health Hazard Evaluation” of the mill will be conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the company’s request.
The Mill is a Mainstay
A paper mill has operated on the Escanaba site under several different owners since 1911.The factory makes paper for the publishing and packaging industries at the rate of 730,000 tons per year, according to the mill’s website.
Thirty-six paper manufacturers operate in the state of Michigan supplied by a forestry industry that generates $12 billion in annual revenue and accounts for 10 percent of the state’s manufacturing sector.
The Great Lakes State boasts 20 million acres of forest land.
