A paper mill in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will pause production to address a blastomycosis fungal infection outbreak.
Upper Michigan health officials urged caution as they investigated an outbreak in Delta and Menominee counties. Nearly 100 known or probable cases were believed to be associated with a paper mill in Escanaba.
Billerud President/CEO Christoph Michalski announced Thursday the company’s Escanaba mill would be closed for up to three weeks as the mill is cleaned. Employees will be paid during the shutdown.
“Our top priority now and always is protecting the health and safety of our employees and contractors who work at our Escanaba Mill,” said Michalski. “We care deeply about their well-being and are doing everything we can to protect them and identify and address the root cause of the blastomycosis fungal infections.”
According to the Billerud website, the mill employs more than 800 people. It has been in operation since 1911 and currently has three paper machines producing graphic papers used in commercial printing, media and marketing applications including magazines, catalogs, books and specialty papers used in label and converting applications.
Blastomycosis is caused by a fungus that primarily lives in moist soil and decomposing organic matter, such as wood, and it spreads through the inhalation of spores, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms can include fever and cough, and people with more weakened immune systems may have more severe cases.
The infection can spread to the lungs and other organs, the CDC says.
According to Public Health of Delta & Menominee Counties, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a known risk area for blastomycosis infection. Identifying the source can be difficult because the blastomyces fungus is endemic to the area and there has never been an industrial outbreak of this nature documented anywhere in the U.S.
