“I ventured up onto the domes of the world's largest telescopes a few times. The view was impressive! The curvature of the domes means that you can only walk around on about twenty feet of the domes before developing a fear of sliding off them on the rapidly sloping surface. What amazes me today was that I was not required to wear a safety harness during the fun activity while breathing very high altitude air that was 40% deficient of oxygen that was known to make people faint. A strenuous climb up ladders was required to get to the top of the domes and a fall from that height would likely be fatal.” FallFearAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtDomesSliding Author:Steven Magee
“It was unfortunate that every time my vitamin B12 levels were tested that they showed values that were in the USA normal range and prevented the B12 deficiency from being diagnosed and treated.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtDeficiencyDiagnosedVitaminB12 Author:Steven Magee
“Experimentation with vitamin B12 showed that I needed to take 25,000 mcg daily, which was over a million times the recommended daily dose.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtDeficiencyMillionB12Recommended Author:Steven Magee
“I discovered my B12 deficiency accidentally while experimenting with energy drinks, because I was fed up with being fatigued, sleepy and showing symptoms consistent with Dementia all the time. I bought a variety of energy drinks and the only one that I exhibited a positive response to was the one with a huge dose of vitamin B12.” EnergyAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtDeficiencyDrinksB12 Author:Steven Magee
“It was my experience with the medical profession that had years of experience treating me and knew that I was displaying symptoms that matched B12 deficiency, that they were unable to make that diagnosis.” MedicalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtDiagnosisDeficiencyB12 Author:Steven Magee
“I was diagnosed with seizures at age of forty five.” AbsenceAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeSeizuresDiagnosed Author:Steven Magee
“I never met anyone in astronomy that stated they had been sent on an industry recognized training course for the safe handling and use of cryogenic liquids & industrial gas.” AstronomyOshaGasAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtIndustrialCryogenicLiquids Author:Steven Magee
“My memories of high altitude astronomy indicate that up to four liquid nitrogen flasks were left venting gas into a small indoor workshop and office area where workers were permanently stationed.” AstronomyOshaGasAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtNitrogenVentingCryogenic Author:Steven Magee
“There are numerous types of oxygen available for purchase. These are industrial oxygen – generally for welding and not suitable for human consumption, aviation oxygen – regulated by the FAA rules, medical oxygen - regulated by the FDA and DOT. It was unclear what type of oxygen was inside the oxygen cylinders that employees were using at the summit of Mauna Kea and most employees assumed it was medical oxygen for treating their medical conditions.” ConditionsMedicalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtOxygenEmployees Author:Steven Magee
“I never met anyone in high altitude astronomy that had a prescription for daily medical oxygen use.” MedicalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtOxygenDailyPrescription Author:Steven Magee
“In 2001 workers were using intermittent oxygen numerous times daily on the very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. By the time I left in 2006 some workers were using portable oxygen units and nasal cannula's for continuous medical oxygen administration for the treatment of altitude sickness.” MedicalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtOxygenIntermittentContinuous Author:Steven Magee
“My memories of my time in high altitude astronomy indicate that there were no oxygen concentration monitors or alarms in the areas that liquid nitrogen was in use inside of the high altitude astronomical facilities where I had worked.” AstronomyOshaGasAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtOxygenLiquidNitrogen Author:Steven Magee
“Telescope coordinates are 12 numbers long. After a couple of years working extreme night shifts on the very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea, I could no longer remember the numbers that were read out to me by astronomers.” RememberAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtExtremeShiftsAmnesiac Author:Steven Magee
“Based on what I observed during my time in high altitude astronomy, mental illness was prevalent in the summit workers.” IllnessAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtMentalSummitAmnesiac Author:Steven Magee
“At the W.M. Keck Observatory on the very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea, there was no routine monitoring of mental functioning, blood oxygen levels, blood pressure or heart rate of summit workers.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtSummitObservatoryMonitoringKeck Author:Steven Magee
“When I think of astronomy, I think of dangerous incompetents.” DangerousAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtThinkTelescopeIncompetents Author:Steven Magee
“I am a radiation mutant.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaRadiationTmtTelescopeMutantKeck Author:Steven Magee
“I really dislike the hiring managers that did not disclose the known toxicity of their hazardous workplaces to me.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaDislikeKeaTmtTelescopeHiringHazardous Author:Steven Magee
“Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) is a classic example of the broken Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).” ExampleBrokenAstronomyClassicOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescope Author:Steven Magee
“The problem with worker contamination by mercury is that the workers may cross contaminate a wide variety of items, such as computers, furniture, offices, tools, workshops, cars, restrooms, their personal items, their own homes, their partner, and so on.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeMercuryCrossContamination Author:Steven Magee
“There were numerous large glass bottles of mercury stored at high altitude astronomical facilities and it was used in the telescope mirror support systems. It seemed to be an uncontrolled substance that was accessible to anyone at the facility.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeMercuryUncontrolledStored Author:Steven Magee
“Reflecting on my time at the 2006 to 2008 observatory, I started to lose my voice in management meetings after extensively handling the rubber mercury mirror support system and the large glass jars of on-site stored mercury with my bare hands and no respiratory protection.” VoiceAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopePoisoningMercury Author:Steven Magee
“In 2019 it had emerged that I had been mercury poisoned while working in high altitude astronomy.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeMercuryPoisonedEmerged Author:Steven Magee
“I was attending the doctor from 2006 through to 2008 for strange skin sensations, tingling/pains/numbness in my head, face, hands and legs, fatigue, stress, gastrointestinal problems, breathing difficulties and chest tightness/pains when exercising while working at an astronomical observatory that had a large amount of mercury stored on site. In 2009 it had progressed to include heart issues, fatigue, weakness and dizziness and I suggested to my doctor that my symptoms matched Eosinophilia and may be Lyme disease encephalitis or multiple sclerosis. Many years later in 2018 I showed a positive response to mercury chelation therapy.” AstronomyTherapyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeMercuryChelation Author:Steven Magee
“Mercury was in use in high altitude astronomy.” MirrorsAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopePoisoningMercury Author:Steven Magee
“At the age of 45, I started to experience severe pains in one foot that progressed into both feet as I aged. I do wonder if it is the long term effects of high altitude peripheral edema.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeFootPeripheralEdema Author:Steven Magee
“We were advised to drink plenty of fluids during our very high altitude summit work days to offset altitude sickness.” WaterDrinkAstronomyOshaSicknessAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtFluids Author:Steven Magee
“Plastic bottles of Gatorade were given free to very high altitude workers on Mauna Kea and they were advised to drink it while on the summit.” DrinkAstronomyOshaAltitudeBottlesMaunaKeaTmtPlasticGatorade Author:Steven Magee
“I am looking forward to attending the bulldozing ceremony for the removal of all very high altitude manned facilities atop the known biologically toxic summit of Mauna Kea.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtCeremonyTelescopeRemovalBulldozing Author:Steven Magee
“Mauna Kea Sickness (MKS) needs to be thoroughly researched and characterized by the medical profession before any more very high altitude workplaces are built on the summit. It is likely that once Mauna Kea Sickness is well characterized, all of the manned summit facilities would need to be removed on the grounds of health and safety.” ProfessionMedicalAstronomyOshaSicknessAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescope Author:Steven Magee
“The very high altitude Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are unsafe for sea level adapted humans to work in. They always have been hazardous to health and always will be.” SeaAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeUnsafeHazardous Author:Steven Magee
“Mauna Kea Sickness (MKS) has cost me close to one million dollars in lost earnings. Long term that figure is expected to rise to four million dollars by age sixty five.” AstronomyOshaSicknessAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeMillionEarnings Author:Steven Magee
“There is a need to set up a compensation fund for Mauna Kea Sickness (MKS) for damaged employees, their families and their survivors.” AstronomyOshaFundAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtCompensationTelescopeDamaged Author:Steven Magee
“I observed many employees displaying Mauna Kea Sickness (MKS) on the very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtSummitTelescopeEmployeesObserved Author:Steven Magee
“The State of Hawaii are facilitating the construction of the biologically toxic 1.4 billion dollar Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) atop the sacred Mauna Kea mountain while conveniently ignoring the unsafe workplace for the very high altitude TMT workers, which is illegal under USA law.” LawAstronomyOshaAltitudeIllegalMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeUnsafe Author:Steven Magee
“The Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are holding back important biological research into High Altitude Observatory Disease (HAOD) by not publicly documenting the illnesses, diseases and causes of deaths in all of their very high altitude workers.” DeathAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDiseasesIllnesses Author:Steven Magee
“Two weeks after the petition to shut down the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) was started, it had 189,393 signatures.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeShutStartedPetition Author:Steven Magee
“The international astronomy community are making it clear that they intend to keep on inducing High Altitude Observatory Disease (HAOD) into their very high altitude workers.” CommunityInternationalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeInducing Author:Steven Magee
“The world is watching the international astronomy community build a known biologically toxic telescope atop a sacred Hawaiian mountain.” WorldInternationalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeWatching Author:Steven Magee
“It is interesting that the international astronomy community are trying to develop the Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) at the same time as the biological science clearly states that it needs to be demolished on the grounds of worker health and safety.” InternationalAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDevelopDemolished Author:Steven Magee
“I applied for workers compensation for the long term effects of High Altitude Observatory Disease (HAOD) caused by the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Ivy League institutions of Columbia University and Dartmouth College. To date, I have not received any compensation from any of them for my injuries or diseases.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeColumbiaKeckDartmouth Author:Steven Magee
“If the University of Hawaii was unbiased, it would have fully researched High Altitude Observatory Disease (HAOD) in all of the Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) summit workers prior to developing the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).” UniversityAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtHawaiiTelescopeResearched Author:Steven Magee
“I noticed that I developed excessive daytime sleepiness after I started working extreme night shifts on the very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Staying awake during the daytime has been a problem ever since.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDaytimeSleepinessExcessive Author:Steven Magee
“Given that the corporate government disability system is denying sickened Mauna Kea workers their earned disability benefits, it falls back onto their very high altitude past employer to compensate them for their loss of earnings, pain and suffering.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeDisabilityMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDisabledCompensate Author:Steven Magee
“Very high altitude workers should be aware that if they become disabled by Mauna Kea Sickness (MKS), it is highly unlikely they will get government disability payments.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeDisabilityMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDisabledPayments Author:Steven Magee
“The most unhygienic thing that I observed during my time in very high altitude astronomy was dozens of workers all sharing the same oxygen administration mask for treating their daily oxygen starvation sicknesses.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtOxygenTelescopeStarvationUnhygienic Author:Steven Magee
“I had my long term health severely damaged by very high altitude astronomy and incorrectly thought that the government disability system would look after me.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeDisabilityMaunaKeaTmtDamagedSeverely Author:Steven Magee
“After three weeks, 209,880 people had registered to halt the TMT project in Hawaii.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtHawaiiTelescopeHaltRegistered Author:Steven Magee
“When one of the workers suggested they could automate some of the manager’s job with software they could easily develop, they were instructed not to do so.” AstronomyOshaAltitudeSoftwareMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeDevelopInstructed Author:Steven Magee
“It was who you knew and not how good you were that determined success in certain high altitude observatories.” SuccessDeterminedAstronomyOshaAltitudeMaunaKeaTmtTelescopeObservatories Author:Steven Magee