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Parts of Google’s Mountain View headquarters recently plagued by toxic vapors

Published Feb 22nd, 2013 1:30PM EST
Google Mountain View Headquarters

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Google (GOOG) employees recently got a scare when toxic vapors were found seeping into areas of the company’s Mountain View headquarters, the Mountain View Voice reports. According to the Voice, two of Google’s recently constructed buildings “were found for the first time to have TCE (trichloroethylene) vapors above the Environmental Protection Agency’s indoor screening level” this past December, which prompted Google to act quickly to fix the potential health problem. A Google spokesperson told the Voice that the sources of the TCE emissions were “promptly identified and fixed” and that “the health of our Googlers was not put at risk in any way at any time.” The toxic emissions are apparently the legacy of older Mountain View-based tech companies that allegedly dumped TCE into the soil while working on early versions of silicon chips in the early 1980s.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.