Incident Report

Alan Castro / Roundup

Construction on Pierce College's 800 building has been delayed due to soil surrounding the building contaminated by lead and mercury due to improper disposal. Photo taken in Woodland Hills, Calif on Friday, March 25, 2016.

Beginning symptoms of exposure to mercury include trembling hands and/or tingling or numbness of the lips, tongue, fingers, or toes, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

“The problem is that Mercury over time can vaporize, so we have very deep concerns about that,” Burke said. “There is two ways that that can be fixed. You can encapsulate it because something that is encapsulated can’t then answer any students questions and concerns.

Miguel Ortiz was one of the testing counselors that was there to assist students.

“The prevalence is high for our youth. Youth meaning from 17 years old until late 20’s,” Ortiz said. “I think education is key. A lot of people don’t have access to care and we can provide it in a minute.”

The HIV testing counselors made sure it was easy for students to do but also made sure they felt comfortable and were well taken care of.

AHF HIV testing is free. The treatment and testing are free, according to Autumn Sinkford, a volunteer for the HIV testing truck.

"That's what we pride ourselves on," Sinkford said. "We provide a free HIV test, free STD testing and if an individual comes back positive for either one, we send the person to our clinic and the individual gets treated."

There are options for home HIV test kits, which are mostly cotton vaporize and typically the way that’s done is to put a concrete slab over it. That was already done in one part of the building.”

Due to new research at the time, information showed just how harmful the chemicals are. Pierce then had to take immediate action in order to prevent any serious damage.

After the issue came to light, the school changed the pipes underneath the area as well as taking a solidation/ stabilization approach to swab tests, but they are never as accurate as doing a blood test, According to Sinkford.

March 21 - March 29

Sinkford explained what the process is for an individual who wants to get checked. A confidential form is filled out with their name and birthdate, the same as the person would do at their clinic. Then the individual goes inside the truck and the tester explains the test to the person that the window period for their test is two weeks to three months and that it's an antibody count test.

"If a person is infected on the the problem. day they have sexual intercourse the body would not have been able to produce enough antibodies to detect if the person is HIV positive or not," Sinkford said. "So, the body would need at least two weeks to develop antibodies depending on the individual's body."

“The pipes were changed out,” Goodman said. “New pipes were put in and I think what they did is they sealed it with concrete, if I'm not mistaken, to seal the rest of those contaminants from the rest of the building. The soil was going to remain underneath the concrete, underneath the building and it would not be a danger to anybody there. That was my recollection."

Therefore, AHF's test detects as early as two weeks to three months. On average people don't develop until the third month, according to Sinkford.

Sinkford said they cannot test for anybody under 13 years old.

"It's better to know than not know," Sinkford said. "If you are positive not only are you spreading it to people that you love but you have to get checked for yourself to maintain your health and get the treatment necessary.”

For those who couldn’t make it to the HIV testing trucks, students can make an appointment at the Student Health Center and get test for a fee of $14 and receive results within 24 hours.

Reported by: Samantha Bravo

3/24 - Burglary

An unknown suspect broke into a locker and stole miscellaneous items from the women's locker room in the North Gym at 11:07 a.m.

3/24 - Battery

Two male students were fighting at the art quad at 8:45 p.m. No charges were made.

3/26 - Burglary

An unknown suspect stole an overhead projector in room 1512 in Botanical Garden. It was found in the bushes between building 1500 and 1600 in a large plastic bag, inside a small trash bin at 7:17 p.m.