Schuylkill County Sheriff Joseph G. Groody points to a Petri dish crowded with squiggles of bacteria and molds as proof positive that the air quality in his office is making people sick.

He got the dish because of the number of "people getting sick in my office through the years. It's in double figures now, people with serious illnesses. So I brought it up at the Safety Committee meeting in March."We decided to do the Petri dish test up there on our own because there's no doubt in my mind there's a problem," Groody said.His staff took swabs from air ducts, wainscoting, desks and counters.At a public commissioners' meeting Wednesday, Groody said he has voiced his concerns to maintenance staff for years about air quality, but has not gotten any answers."Who did you raise the question to, because I never heard of it," said Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier."Through the years I've brought up to maintenance the duct systems being cleaned out and were there air quality tests, but I never get any answers," Groody said.Clerk of Courts Maria T. Casey also wants answers to her questions about air quality in her office, saying a 2009 report advised the county to act quickly on particle allergens in the courthouse.Casey said the report advised there were "numerous areas of concern" where particle allergens were "extremely elevated."In his report, she said, Keith Roe, president of Air Care & Restoration, the Bethlehem company that tested the courthouse in 2009, advised "immediate action" to resolve the issues.Air Care is the company the commissioners hired Wednesday for $57,850 to remediate radon in the courthouse.According to a copy of the 2009 report sent to Human Resources Director and then-risk manager Martina Chwastiak and county Director of Public Works William Liptok from Chad Rogers of Air Care, testing was done on all levels of the building from May 27, 2009, to July 2, 2009."I did not find any physical evidence of air quality issues at this time that would typically be associated with conditions creating (sick building syndrome) symptoms to building occupants," Rogers wrote.However, he recommended steps to alleviate excessive airborne particles, especially in the clerk of courts and Veterans Affairs offices, canteen, courtroom 4, and the area of the court administrator.Rogers cited "areas of concern" for elevated airborne particle allergens including the switchboard, central booking, the register of wills office, the basement, the district attorney's office, the clerk of courts office, the commissioners' area, courtrooms and many other offices.Concerning mold spores, Rogers recommended immediate action in the county administrator's area, the canteen, the Veterans Affairs office, the clerk of courts office, a storage area, and courtroom 4.Chwastiak said, "There was remediation work done in the areas he requested."Casey said she wants to know which areas were remediated and which were not."I have staff who have come to me concerned for their physical health," she said.Chawstiak said she and Liptok, along with Roe, discussed the 2009 report, done when she was the county risk manager."The bottom line to that report was that it was determined we do not have sick building syndrome here. There are no levels that would make people sick," she said.The upshot was that Casey, Chwastiak and others would talk with Liptok and Roe about the report."We're trying to make sure everyone is safe here," said Commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.