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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by military families who say they have been sickened by toxic mold in Keesler AFB privatized housing. After Hurricane Katrina, the government paid $287 million to build more than 1000 homes, the largest construction project in Air Force history.
Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker said at a Armed Services Committee hearing that moisture and mold have been reported in 91% of the housing. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said that several families have been forced to relocate up to four times in recent years.
The mold affecting military housing at Keesler is only one of the reported mold problems plaguing military housing across the nation. Due to limited allowances and options, military families are restricted in their housing options.
Private contractors are responsible for the upkeep of more than 200,000 houses located on military bases. The Defense Department’s inspector general cited “pervasive health and safety hazards.”
U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. dismissed the lawsuit saying that the families failed to prove that their sicknesses were specifically caused by mold exposure. The families reported suffering from chest pain, sinusitis, congestion, respiratory problems, rhinitis, fatigue, headache, rash, allergic reaction, dermatitis, nausea, vomiting and coughing.
This is always a problem with mold exposure. Doctors are very reluctant to state for certain that mold is responsible even though both the CDC and the EPA say that mold can cause these types of health issues.
“This is a systemic problem throughout the military,” Billy Guice, one of the families attorneys said. “It is, in my view, a national disgrace. Our clients are trying to prevent other military families from going through the same thing.”
Keesler families say the maintenance workers attempted to clean up the mold problem with soap and water. At Water Mold Fire Restoration of Gulfport, (985) 251-0881, we know from years of experience and training that mold cannot be eliminated with just soap and water. Wiping the mold away or covering it up with paint just won’t get the job done. If you have a mold problem in your home, don’t rely on untrained workers to clean up mold, call a specialist, like WMF of Gulfport.
