An unsettling new State Department report An inspector general’s report warns of potentially fatal electrical currents inside of electrical current that found that two well-populated buildings at the U.S. embassy complex in Afghanistan are emitting possibly deadly levels of electrical current.

An investigation by the agency's inspector general reveals significant The Department of State OIG report looks at problems with the power systems in an office building and at an office annex and a staff residence. Combined, the buildings can accommodate about 1,200 people. The residential building at facility is located in the Kabul, Afghanistan's capital facility. 

Electricians examining the buildings — which costing nearly $800 million to build — found that the office registered annex New Office Annex was almost seven amps above the level that in which an electrical shock can kill someone could cause death. Amperage in the The staff apartment building but the Staff Diplomatic Apartment was almost three times the that level in the office building.

The State Department organization responsible for the embassy complex, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, says it has begun to fix the problems but downplayed the report's characterization of how significant the safety threat is, with officials saying "the readings in residential and public spaces were consistent with readings taken prior to building occupancy." Harmful electrical currents are limited to "locked and restricted mechanical and electrical rooms," officials said.

Investigators have countered, saying deadly electrical current could be present anywhere in the system until its source is located. They also scolded the bureau for doing a poor job of posting warning signs that clearly explain the danger and how to avoid it.

The embassy is staffed by hundreds of diplomats and support personnel. In addition, about two dozen Marine Corps security guards are on site, responsible for access control, safeguarding classified material and emergency response. In hot spots such as Kabul, the Marines devote added effort to perimeter security and personnel protection. They don't work nor reside in either of the buildings addressed in the report, according to Maj. Clark Carpenter, Marine Corps spokesman.

However, many Marines and other U.S. service members are well acquainted with the 14-acre compound, which laid dormant for 12 years before it reopened in 2002 after the Taliban's fall. The first infantry units to arrive there reported that bullet holes and broken windows had exposed the embassy to years of harsh weather. A half-smoked cigar in the ambassador's office was testimony to the building's swift abandonment.

The spaces affected by faulty electrical are entirely new. The office space, which building in question opened in July, is built for 2015 and can accommodate more than 900 people. The apartment, which opened in February, can house 300 personnel, while the residential building houses nearly 300 residents and opened in February. 

Investigators blamed the problems on The report blames indicates said the most likely cause were "improperly installed electrical wiring, equipment, and faulty electrical appliances," the report says. They said The OIG said testing at the facilities was conducted by Task Force Protect Our Warfighters and Electrical Resources, or POWER, —a team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created after following the electrocution of 14 personnel were electrocuted in 2008.

A 10-amp current can kill a person, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Task Force POWER found currents measuring 16.7 amps and 27 amps in the office building and apartment building, respectively.

Task Force POWER made initial assessments of objectionable current in the two buildings likely came from poorly installed wiring.

Objectionable current occurs when current passes through the grounded wiring of a building, resulting interference, electromagnetic fields, fires and electrocution.

The report said that the Centers for Disease Control found that currents up to 10 amps could cause death. Task Force POWER found that the currents in the New Office Annex were 16.7 amps while in the Staff Diplomatic Apartment, they were 27 amps.

The OIG offered three recommendations, including:

•           That the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations' Facilities Management Office examine and correct the objectionable current issues in the building.

•           That the OBO eliminate or reduce the risk to personnel in the buildings

•           That the OBO inform occupants of the risk of the objectionable current and instructions on how to avoid it.

Another federal agency, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations has begun to fix the problems but objected to the report's characterization of how significant the threat was to personal safety, with officials there saying The OBO concurred with two of the recommendations and started action to implement them. It did not concur that the objectionable current caused a problem for occupants, saying that, "the readings in residential and public spaces were consistent with readings taken prior to building occupancy." The agency OBO verified that the harmful electrical objectionable current was limited to "locked and restricted mechanical and electrical rooms," officials said.

The OIG said that Task Force POWER informed investigators that objectionable current could be present anywhere in the electrical system until its source is located. The OIG considered the recommendation unresolved.

The report also considered its recommendation that occupants be informed unresolved, saying that warning signage did not include all relevant information, mostly because of the OBO's assessment that objectionable current was limited to certain rooms.

With reporting by Marine Corps Times senior reporter Lance M. Bacon.

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