At the age of 46 I was starting to see the appearance of rainbow halos and starbursts around bright nighttime lights, problems reading small print, focusing issues with my eyes, and image recognition issues. I had been exposed to bright high powered 20 watt scattered sodium LASER light a decade earlier in very high altitude astronomy.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Age Altitude Appearance Astronomy Bright Decade Earlier Exposed Eyes Focusing Halos High Image Issues Laser Light Lights Night Nightime Observatory Powered Print Problems Rainbow Reading Recognition Scattered See Small Sodium Starbursts Starting Time Very

At the age of 45, most days in Tucson were spent feeling like I was on the summit of Mauna Kea, as I was exhibiting debilitating health symptoms that corresponded to what I saw at very high altitude. I was later to find that I had erratic low blood oxygen levels after almost a decade of high altitude work.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Age Almost Altitude Astronomer Astronomy Blood Corresponded Days Debilitating Decade Erratic Exhibiting Feeling Find Health High Kea Later Levels Like Low Mauna Most Observatory Oxygen Saw Spent Summit Symptoms Tucson Very What Work

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 workers.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Astrosociobiology Blood Functioning Hawaii Heart High Kea Keck Mauna Mental Monitoring Observatory Osha Oxygen Pressure Routine Summit Very Workers

Snow cleaning of the world's largest telescope mirrors was an impressive sight. The optics technicians would climb into a huge telescopic boom lift and spray immense clouds of cold carbon dioxide snow and gas onto the ten meter diameter mirrors high above the floor indoors. It would cause some of the accumulated dirt to magically fall off, leaving it less dirty.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Accumulated Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Astrosociobiology Boom Carbon Cleaning Climb Clouds Cold Diameter Dioxide Dirt Dirty Gas Huge Immense Impressive Keck Largest Lift Magically Mirror Observatory Optics Sight Snow Spray Technicians Telescope Telescopic World

I made the mistake of using my earned sick time at the W. M. Keck Observatory for essential surgery. When I returned to work the management team demanded my resignation numerous times, citing my essential surgery as a reason. The W. M. Keck Observatory taught me that using earned sick time in the USA may put your future employment at significant risk.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Citing Demanded Employment Essential Future Keck Management Mistake Numerous Observatory Reason Resignation Returned Risk Sick Significant Surgery Taught Team Time Times Usa Using Work

There is a lot of willful incompetence in high altitude astronomy that is in the process of coming to light.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astronomy Nerd Astrosociobiology Coming High Incompetence Light Light Quotes Lot Observatory Process Very Willful

I saw a guy faint at the W. M. Keck Observatory, he stepped out from the tour group and said to me I'm feeling sick and then his eyes rolled back and his knees gave way! The group caught him on his way to the ground and he got free emergency medical oxygen for half an hour before being evacuated off the summit by his tour group!!! His friends stated that he was considered the healthiest person in the group while he was gasping for breaths of life on the summit of Mauna Kea! Never saw him again.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Again Back Breaths Caught Considered Emergency Evacuated Eyes Faint Feeling Free Friends Gasping Gave Ground Group Guy Healthiest Kea Keck Knees Life Mauna Medical Observatory Oxygen Person Rolled Sick Stated Stepped Summit Tour Way

When I was instructed to use medical oxygen to do my job at the W. M. Keck Observatory from 2001 to 2006, I was never told about the legal health information that is now posted on oxygen cylinders. My memories of the green medical oxygen cylinders that we would use daily is that they had no information on them and we were never given a recognised legal oxygen administration training course for routine daily use or a medical prescription from a doctor. We were shown the three oxygen cylinders at the facility and told to use them whenever we developed headaches, which was multiple times daily. It was common to find all three oxygen cylinders in use by other very high altitude workers and to have to line up to get a turn on the magical medical gas.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Administration Altitude Cdc Course Cylinders Daily Developed Facility Fda Gas Green Headaches Health High Information Instructed Job Kea Keck Legal Line Magical Mauna Medical Memories Multiple Observatory Osha Oxygen Posted Prescription Recognized Routine Training Turn Up Use Very Workers

One of the biggest lies that is currently being told in the USA workplace is on the legally required OSHA poster: All workers have the right to a safe workplace.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Health Kea Legal Legally Lie Lies Mauna Mountain Observatory Osha Poster Right Rights Safe Safety Solar Solar Energy Solar Power Solar Pv Solar System Solar Systems Telescope Usa Work Workers Workplace

When I worked in high altitude astronomy, the worst sickness that I experienced was not at the 13,796 feet very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea Observatory (MKO) in Hawaii, it was at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona at the much lower altitude of 6,875 feet. Due to my very high altitude experiences, I knew that this strange sickness was not primarily caused by altitude sickness and was most likely Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). After reporting various behavioral problems in all of the staff to the management team, my contract was not renewed, I was unable to legally protect the health and safety of the workers that I was responsible for, troubleshooting of this environmental problem stopped and I left in a sickened state for my next position before I could find the root cause.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Arizona Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Astrosociobiology Behavioral Building Cause Contract Experiences Hawaii Health High Kea Kitt Kpno Legally Management Mauna Mko National Observatory Peak Problem Problems Protect Responsible Root Safety Sbs Sick Sickened Sickness Staff State Strange Summit Syndrome Team Troubleshooting Very Worked Workers Worst

When the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) found out that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were going to visit the site to assist in bringing it into legal compliance, they freaked out! They insisted that the visit had to be canceled and the result was that I eventually became so sick from the toxic workplace environment that I had no option but to leave.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Administration Assist Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Astrosociobiology Canceled Compliance Environment Eventually Freaked Health Insisted Leave Legal National Noao Observatory Occupational Optical Option Osha Out Result Safety Sick Site Toxic Visit Workplace

When I worked at the W. M. Keck Observatory on the 13,796 feet very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea, we would routinely be engulfed in cold clouds of helium and nitrogen gas as we discharged it into the video camera systems daily. The management team never warned us that we were in a hazardous oxygen deprived environment during this activity that was known for its ability to adversely affect physical and mental health, and possibly bring on death by asphyxiation.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Activity Adversely Affect Altitude Asphyxiation Camera Clouds Cold Daily Death Deprived Discharged Engulfed Environment Gas Hawaii Hazardous Health Helium High Kea Keck Liquid Management Mauna Mental Nitrogen Observatory Oxygen Physical Summit Systems Team Very Video Warned

The biggest surprise that I had during my time in high altitude astronomy was being prevented from arranging a free Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) onsite evaluation to assist with bringing the observatory into OSHA compliance by the upper management team that I reported to.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Administration Altitude Arranging Assist Astronomy Biggest Compliance Evaluation Free Health High Management Observatory Occupational Onsite Osha Prevented Reported Safety Surprise Team Upper

A healthy person that uses medical oxygen to perform their job on a daily basis should expect to eventually become a sick person.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astronomy Basis Climbing Daily Eventually Expect Healthy High Job Mountaineering Observatory Oxygen Perform Person Sick Uses Medical

When I worked in astronomy, I routinely observed young college and university students working with liquid nitrogen and breathing nitrogen gas as they discharged it into the indoor environment at high altitude.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Astrosociobiology Breathing College Discharged Environment Gas High Indoor Liquid Nitrogen Observatory Observed Students University Working Young

Astronomy staff that routinely discharged industrial gas into the indoor environment at high altitudes did not wear oxygen deficiency monitors or protective breathing respirators.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Altitude Astrobiology Astronomer Astronomical Astronomy Astrophysics Breathing Deficiency Discharged Environment Gas High Indoor Industrial Monitors Observatory Oxygen Protective Respirators Routinely Staff Very Wear

Working on the summit of Mauna Kea was comparable to working on the hospital pulmonary ward with sick people sucking on oxygen cylinders.

~ Steven Magee

Steven Magee Astronomy Astrophysics Comparable Cylinders Hospital Kea Lung Mauna Mountain Mountaineering Observatory Oxygen People Pulmonary Sick Sucking Ward Working