Workers say sickness showed up early

Almost from the day the show opened on Broadway in 1994, some of the performers said they began to get sick. By November 1995, several musicians were so concerned about their health that they asked for -- and received -- respirators from Disney's stage manager. Many continue to wear the masks at work today to filter the air before they breathe it.

One actor, who asked not to be named, said that on stage, the fumes dry out breathing passages.

"You try to manipulate your work so that you can hold your breath until you leave the stage, which is something a lot of us do," he said.

Environmental consultant Ed Olmstead was hired a year ago by the musicians' union to investigate workers' complaints. He found that the ventilation system drew air, including smoke and gas from special effects, from the stage directly into the orchestra pit.

A preliminary study conducted for the musicians' union by researchers at the prestigious Mount Sinai School of Medicine concluded that the show was to blame for the rash of respiratory illnesses. Medical histories of the performers showed that "they were doing fine until they began this assignment at 'Beauty and the Beast,'" said Dr. Jacqueline Moline, who conducted the study a year ago.

B A C K

Disney: Airborne fumes an issue of discomfort

Disney Theatrical, which produces the "Beauty and the Beast" stage show, has said the performers may experience discomfort from the special effects, but are not being harmed. General Manager Alan Leevee said the show is so safe that he wouldn't mind sitting in the orchestra pit.

"We've maintained that the conditions in the Palace Theater conform with OSHA regulations, and that was our concern, that we met with the requirements dictated by OSHA," he said.

He said Disney has taken steps to improve ventilation systems in the theater, and has changed some of the show's special effects to try to make the musicians more comfortable.

However, respirators were not a part of the changes, Leevee said. While two stage managers said they had purchased respirators for musicians, Leevee said Disney never authorized such purchases.

He insisted that only the New York cast has complained about the effects. But the entire cast from a traveling show also complained about them in a letter to Disney more than a year ago, which they all signed.

B A C K

Slow-moving OSHA investigation

Given the body of evidence supporting their claims, many "Beauty and the Beast" employees have started to ask why the government is not pursuing their claims more vigorously.

OSHA Assistant Area Director Brian Yellin said his agency was never given the medical data the musicians' union gathered. He also said that with OSHA's limited resources, the agency must give priority to fatalities and catastrophes.

Therefore, the organization's first on-site inspection took more than a year from the date the initial complaint was filed. OSHA's final report is not expected before next year.

Whether Disney actually meets federal regulations depends on how strictly OSHA, which watches worker health and safety, interprets its own guidelines.

Yellin said that while a company may meet the letter of the law, if a worker's health is in danger, a company like Disney could still fall under a rule known as the catch-all or general duty clause.

"The general duty clause requires an employer to provide a workplace free of recognized safety and health hazards," Yellin said. The word "recognized" in that clause is open to interpretation.

B A C K

The pros and cons of firework secrecy

The performers have had no luck in trying to find out the composition of the fumes they are breathing.

M.P. Associates, the manufacturer of the special effects, refused to provide a list of the ingredients to OSHA for fear that their industry secrets will be stolen by other manufacturers.

Meanwhile, OSHA officials said they tried to subpoena the company to get the ingredients list, but the subpoenas were refused. It was unclear what subsequent efforts were made.

Thaine Morris, president of M.P. Associates, said the elements used to create the effects are safe, and that some could even be eaten without harm.

But industrial hygienist Monona Rossel of the Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety organization said that pyrotechnics manufacturers have never done any studies to find out what the explosions' byproducts are.

"You've turned these poor people, really, into lab rats," she said.

John Conklin of the American Pyrotechnics Association said fireworks can cause more than discomfort.

"There's no smoke that is designed for human inhalation, so any smoke can irritate the lungs," Conklin said.

B A C K

Not even flashy effects may save Broadway

Disney and other Broadway producers may be reluctant to drop the glitz that special effects provide to stage shows like "Beauty and the Beast," because they are struggling to compete with the popularity of ever-more technical and flashy special effects in movies.

Yet a study this summer by a Boston-based consultant found that the popularity of Broadway is declining -- compared to television, movies, sports and gambling -- even with the pyrotechnics.

Instead of big bangs, Rossel advised, theater should return to the basics. And engineering consultant Harry Herman, who has studied the health effects of theatrical fogs, echoed her sentiments, saying Broadway should simply reemphasize good acting.

But Moline said the best reason to stop or at least change the effects is to preserve the health of those being exposed.

"Judging from what we know now," she said, "there should be a better way to have special effects in theaters that do not have any potential to have health effects for the workers, the performers, the stage hands, anyone in the theater environment who has to be there eight times a week doing their show."

B A C K

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.