VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1142 0930505
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 030505Z APR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9486
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3225

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