The Centers For Disease Control has not been able to find the exact source of a massive outbreak of Blastomycosis at a paper mill in Escanaba.
The fungal infection that tends to strike the lungs made at least 162 people sick at the Billerud mill, and killed one of them.
It typically develops when soil is disturbed in areas where the fungus exists, and the spores are inhaled.
The outbreak in Escanaba began in November of 2022, and lasted into the following May.
The CDC says extensive environmental sampling was done, but none of the samples came back positive for Blastomycosis.
The CDC does suggest that industries that work outdoors disturbing soil in areas with Blastomycosis provide worker education.
The complete report can be found here.
