Source of deadly fungal outbreak at Michigan paper mill may be impossible to determine, says union chief
CBSN
Workers at a northwest Michigan paper mill shuttered by a deadly fungal outbreak may never know how the outbreak started, according to the head of their union local.
Gerald Kell, president of the United Steel Workers Local 21, told CBS News on Tuesday the fungus afflicting the plant, blastomycosis, is endemic to the area, but pinpointing the source could be impossible.
"Having gone through the last few weeks, discussing it with some of the field experts, the fungus is endemic to the area, also, throughout the midwest," Kell said. "Anywhere you have rotting leaves, wood, water sources, it is endemic. As for the actual, specific source at our site, we have yet to determine that. And we're not really sure if we even can specifically determine its source."
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