The Nation - News from Feb. 8, 1988

Despite medical assurances, a significant number of workers are afraid of catching AIDS from sharing job equipment, restrooms and cafeterias with victims of the deadly disease, according to a new survey. That suggests worries about AIDS could conflict with legal decisions that protect victims’ rights to keep working, said David Herold, director of the Center for Work Performance at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The Georgia Tech survey found that 66% said they would be “concerned” about using the same restroom on the job as a person who had acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Forty percent said they would think twice about eating in the same cafeteria as an AIDS patient, while 37% said they would not share tools or equipment with such a person.