There have been smoke, fire, water, poison and chunks of debris falling from the ceiling in the county's new administrative office building at 150 N. Queen St.

And that has some tenants wondering: "What's next, the Bubonic Plague?"

Pat Tiani, manager of the Smith Barney financial services office that rents ground floor space inside the building, pondered what curse may befall his employees next.

On Tuesday, a high carbon monoxide reading forced his office to close for the day, sent one employee to the hospital and required for medical treatment for another.

More than 200 county employees at the former Armstrong World Industries site, where construction has been under way since January, got the day off as well. But as they left, many whispered concerns about returning.

Such murmurs have manifested in several venues since the $26 million construction project began.

Eight county employees complained of skin rashes and dust allergies inside the building, according to Mental Health and Mental Retardation employee Dale Miller, who chairs the county's safety committee.

Three or four from his department have been transferred offsite to prevent future reactions.

Twice, the state Department of Labor and Industry visited the construction site, prompted by complaints of "poor ventilation, dust and fumes coming out of the vents, along with numerous upper respiratory illnesses," according to an inspector's report in April.

The agency ordered the county to engage an independent air quality inspector to survey the contraction site and make recommendations, which the county must obey by June 27.

County Engineer Dave McCudden said today that Eagle Industrial Hygiene in Horsham already has been contracted to test the air and is expected to complete the analysis by next week.

After a hectic day of fire sirens and evacuations on Tuesday, county officials met with general building contractor Perrotto Builders LLC and scolded the firm for its recent oversights in safety.

Tuesday morning, fumes from three cement finishing machines and hand finishers on the third floor overwhelmed parts of the building with carbon monoxide. Early speculation had blamed exhaust from cement trucks parked outside the building.

Because the machines run on diesel and gasoline, the release of carbon monoxide is inevitable, said Capt. John Thomas, a Lancaster City Fire Marshal.

"The proper thing to do would be to empty the building and ventilate properly," Thomas said.

Later in the day, around 1:30 p.m., a call alerted fire officials to another suspicious smell inside the building.

This time it was roof glue that was being fanned throughout the building by the ventilation system.

Employees at the Chesters & Miller LLP law office on the sixth floor of the building reported the smell and "called it a day," Thomas said.

"We have fire marshals there pretty much every day," Thomas lamented.

Last Thursday, Thomas issued a "stop work order" on the building, citing large holes cut in the floors, torn ceilings, disabled alarms, and lack of proper safety precautions, among other issues.

He met with the county commissioners and staff later in the day and agreed to give them 10 days to remedy violations.

"Things have gotten much better (since then)," he said on Tuesday.

Today, Commissioner Chairman Dick Shellenberger, who visited the building Tuesday morning, stressed safety above all for county employees.

"I was disappointed with our contractors' performance," Shellenberger said about Perrotto Builders at the commissioners' meeting. He said the county is holding discussions with the construction staff to "remedy damages" and try to prevent future incidents.

According to Mark Esterbrook, county administrator, the county has asked Perrotto to hire a safety monitor for the whole operation. McCudden also added that he will strongly encourage the contractor to add more staff for better coordination and oversight at the Queen Street site.

The county engineer was surprised with Perrotto's problems on this job, noting good performance when the Reading-based firm built the addition to the Youth Intervention Center, which now houses the Children and Youth department.

Today, all county staff and Smith Barney personnel are back in 150 N. Queen. As a courtesy, city fire officers tested the air at the site at 7 a.m. and found no hazards.

County officials were readying for an afternoon meeting with all five prime contractors. Capt. Thomas is hoping to get together with them as well.

"The safety and health of employees and tenants are of greatest importance," said Commissioner Molly Henderson.

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