By Todd Karpovich
Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE — After a Baltimore County paramedic was accused of masturbating with and urinating on coworkers’ food and personal items, officials say the risk of disease transmission appears low. But the psychological toll on fire personnel could prove more significant.
Captions on pornographic videos allegedly posted by the paramedic on subscription sites — since deleted but recovered by The Baltimore Sun through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine — appear to show bodily fluids being placed at work into items labeled as a “coworker’s lemonade,” “coworker’s dressing” and “job’s ranch.” Other videos depict a man performing sex acts with what captions describe as a “coworker’s chapstick” and a “stranger’s toothbrush at work.”
| EARLIER: Hazmat cleaning ordered after alleged lewd acts by Md. paramedic inside firehouses
The Baltimore County Fire Department is investigating. The paramedic’s name and employment status have not been released, though officials said last week that the employee was not “in the workplace at this time.”
Dr. Eric Wargotz, president of the Maryland State Medical Society and clinical professor emeritus of pathology at the George Washington University School of Medicine, said the disease risk appears low based on what’s known so far.
Many of the fluids and materials allegedly used carry bacteria, he said, but most are nonpathogenic, or not capable of causing disease or harm to a host, under normal circumstances.
In a department-wide email last week obtained by The Sun, Baltimore County Fire Chief Joseph Dixon offered his staff free medical testing and additional mental health resources. Dixon said that “while the science indicates very little risk,” the peace of mind of the team was more valuable.
Baltimore County shared a workplace safety guide this month outlining how blood-borne viruses spread and the limited risks they pose in typical settings.
The county says conditions such as HIV and hepatitis B and C carry a low risk of transmission through casual contact. These pathogens break down quickly outside the body — often within minutes to hours — and are not spread through shared surfaces or items such as desks, bedding, utensils or toilet seats.
According to the guidance, transmission can occur only when infected bodily fluids enter another person’s bloodstream. That can happen through cuts or open wounds, needles, sexual contact or from mother to infant during childbirth or breastfeeding.
County fire and health officials did not provide any more details of the investigation.
Wargotz said common organisms, such as staph or strep, that are found on skin or in bodily fluid rarely pose a threat unless they enter the body in large amounts or under unusual conditions.
Getting sick or an infection from exposure to another person’s urine is rare but possible if exposed to an open wound or external mucus membranes, such as the mouth, he said. And certain strains of E. coli, shigella and salmonella could be transmitted through exposure to fecal or rectal material, according to Wargotz.
He said the key factor is whether the accused provider tested positive for any infectious diseases.
“Assuming he’s negative, then the pathologic risk to everybody is negligible,” Wargotz said.
Wargotz said that if the provider did test positive for an infection, the level of risk would depend on how any bodily fluids were introduced and the type of pathogen involved. For example, some infections are more virulent — meaning they take hold more easily — than others, or the immune status of the exposed individuals could be a factor.
“So there’s no definitive answer,” Wargotz said. “But if he were positive, then yes, there is a risk.”
Wargotz said the most significant fallout for Baltimore firefighters and EMTs will likely be psychological.
“Coworkers who rotated through stations with this person won’t really know if they were affected or not, and that weighs on one’s mind,” he said.
Wargotz said the department’s decision to deep-clean all professional firehouses and offices — even if not strictly necessary from an environmental standpoint — can still serve a purpose.
“It’s important psychologically for everyone who worked with this person,” he said, pointing to the harm of anxiety, fear of exposure and lingering uncertainty.
“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s probably the biggest issue that needs to be addressed.”
In interviews with The Sun, fire employees cited a lack of communication from the department about the potential health risks. And many local public health institutions have shied away from providing information publicly about the case.
The University of Maryland Medical System and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center declined to comment and make experts available for interviews.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital, MedStar Health, Mercy Medical Center and LifeBridge Health did not respond to requests for comment and interviews.
Fire department employees who believe they might have been exposed are encouraged to call the police department.
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