Dorothy McDonald says her health declined after Broadspectrum made her live in a room with ‘black, sticky and hairy’ mould

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

A former English teacher is suing offshore detention operator Broadspectrum for “devastating” ill health caused by black mould in her accomodation while she was on Nauru teaching asylum seekers and refugees.

The case, which joins ongoing fallout from a years-long issue with dangerous mould at the offshore immigration detention centre in Nauru, went before the Queensland supreme court on Tuesday afternoon.

In an affidavit filed to the court and seen by Guardian Australia, 68-year-old Dorothy McDonald said she was made to live in a room with “black, sticky and hairy” mould and was denied requests to move elsewhere.

She said the months of “significant” exposure over a fly-in-fly-out work schedule had left her with debilitating health complaints including chronic fatigue, headaches and difficulties with concentration and memory.

McDonald said she has been unable to work since returning from Nauru in November 2015.

“Being an English teacher, I always prided myself on my ability to articulate my thoughts,” she said. “It feels like an integral part of who I was has been taken from me and is now gone.”

Nauru mould problem was of ‘epic proportions’, microbiologist says Read more

According to the McDonald affidavit, she was employed by the Salvation Army and then Transfield – now known as Broadspectrum – between January 2013 and November 2015.

McDonald said she spent about 18 months in demountable cabins and her complaint stemmed largely from two rooms she lived in for 11 months in 2015.

After complaining of mould in one room, McDonald said she was moved to another which she said quickly became far worse. The previous room, which she had lived in for about six months, was closed permanently, she said.

She said both rooms had only one permanently shut window, and she was made to keep the air conditioners set at 22C, a contrast which felt “like a freezer” compared with the 30C to 40C temperatures outside, she said.

“I recall seeing the condensation mix with the mould and slide down the wall, leaving a black streak on the wall,” she said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A photo showing mould in the tents formerly used by asylum seekers at the Nauru immigration detention centre.

She said she asked to move several times, but was told accommodation was at a premium and there was no other option. An accomodation officer told her to just wash the walls, she said.

According to McDonald’s affidavit, her symptoms worsened, including itchy eyes, fevers, disturbed sleep, headaches and sinusitis.

Her symptoms improved during a brief trip to the UK, and on return trips to Australia, but she said they worsened each time she came back to Nauru, and expanded to include fatigue and a “significant change in my concentration and cognitive function”.

“I had difficulty remembering words and names. I also had difficulty using the computer system,” she said.

In October 2015 she was hospitalised in Nauru with a respiratory infection and was flown to Australia, where she said she continues to suffer from chronic fatigue as well as concentration and memory problems.

“My symptoms continue to be devastating,” she said. “My life has changed irrevocably. I am not the person I was before.”

'Australia is a bigger cage': the ongoing trauma of Nauru's child refugees Read more

McDonald, who is being represented by Maurice Blackburn lawyers, has previously sought and won compensation for the same complaint through a New South Wales-based claim against Transfield, which was sent to arbitration. Her affidavit notes that she was fired from Transfield in 2016 for “gross misconduct” – specifically, sharing articles on Facebook.

On Tuesday the case was adjourned amid disagreement over which jurisdiction applied. McDonald has asked the court to apply the laws of Nauru to her case as she was allegedly injured in Nauru. Broadspectrum claims NSW law applies.

The case is the latest claim of dangerous exposure to mould at the immigration detention centre which Australia operated on Nauru.

Last year the Department of Home Affairs said there had been “no cases of anyone developing health issues following exposure to mould at the Nauru RPC”, however Comcare has confirmed it received a complaint from a former employee in 2016, and a number of other former staff have also alleged their health was affected.

A microbiologist contracted to assess the problem in 2014 said the problem was “10 out of 10” and “could not be any worse” when he viewed it, and leaked emails last year cast doubt on government assurances that adequate action was being taken to combat the mould.

Broadspectrum has previously said it maintained a healthy and safe workplace for its employees on Nauru.

It has been contacted for comment on this current case.