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Will Your On-Base Home Be Tested for Lead?

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Lead poisoning is a widespread and growing problem at Army bases, according to investigative reporting from Reuters.

Unfortunately, no one has a clear picture of the extent of lead poisoning in military children because the Army often failed to report test results to state authorities.

Will Your On-Base Home Be Tested for Lead?

According to a 2017 memo from The Villages on Benning, 2,274 out of 4,001 on-base homes contained lead-based paint at Fort Benning.

Between 2011 and 2016, the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas processed over 1,000 blood tests for lead in young children that showed elevated results. Brooke Army Medical Center reported testing approximately 200 children per year in that 5-year span.

This blood test is a simple finger-prick blood draw and costs approximately $10. Many, if not most, U.S. children go untested for lead every year. It is unclear how many military-connected children do or do not get tested for lead poisoning annually.

Texas, like most states, requires that all elevated testing results be reported to the state authorities. However, Brooke did not report their findings in many cases. Neither did Fort Benning, Ga.

This lack of reporting kept state and federal authorities in the dark about the growing issues surrounding lead poisoning in military children.

Military Response to Investigation

After Reuters investigative reporting uncovered the Army’s lead-based problems, the Army drafted a plan to test 40,000 possibly lead-contaminated homes on military bases nationwide. Homes with young children – an at-risk population – would have the highest priority for immediate testing. Approximately 100,000 children live in military housing.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are going above and beyond current requirements to ensure the safety of our soldiers and their families who work and live on all of our installations,” Army spokesperson Colonel Kathleen Turner said in a statement. “We are currently evaluating all options to address these concerns.”

Homes built before 1978 would be tested for lead contamination in the soil, water, paint and other likely areas in the residence.

However, these far-reaching plans to rectify a potentially dangerous situation are not approved for action as of August 28.

Aging Military Family Housing Linked as Possible Source

Military family housing began to change hands from Defense Department management to private management in the 1990s. At the time, on-base homes were often old and in a state of disrepair. Contractors were brought in by the private companies to renovate, and often rebuild, on-base communities.

However, as recently as 2005, the Army admitted that even these homes weren’t up to their own standards. Their report indicated that as many as 75% of its 90,000 homes on military bases nationwide were falling into disrepair.

“As homes deteriorate, the risk of children’s being exposed to hazardous materials…would increase,” the military report noted.

In 2016, a DoD Investigator General report found privatized military family housing to be vulnerable to poor maintenance and management. This left military families at risk for exposure to dangerous materials in run-down homes.

Lead-based paint and other materials are primarily evident in homes built before 1978. Homes that were built using such products are considered safe, so long as they are properly maintained.

The issue arises when those lead-based paints and other materials begin to decay, disintegrate, peel and breakdown. Peeling lead-based paint releases contaminated dust into the air. It can also be easily handled or ingested by curious young children.

According to a 2017 memo from The Villages on Benning, the company managing Fort Benning housing, 2,274 out of 4,001 on-base homes contained lead-based paint.

Effects of Lead Poisoning

Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Peeling paint or other materials are easy for small children to touch or eat out of curiosity.

Symptoms range from immediate to long-term and involve multiple bodily systems.

Children might experience:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Irritability
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Vomiting
  • Constipation
  • Fatigue or sluggishness
  • Pica or eating non-food items compulsively
  • Seizures
  • Developmental delays
  • Learning differences

Women who are pregnant can expose their unborn children to lead unknowingly. Infants with lead poisoning are more likely to be born prematurely, have a lower birth weight and to experience slower growth rates compared to typically developing peers.

Adults are not immune to the effects of lead poisoning. While the symptoms are different from infants and children, lead poisoning is no less serious for adults.

Adults with lead poisoning might experience:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Headaches
  • High blood pressure
  • Muscle and joint aches
  • Mood disorders
  • Memory problems
  • Low sperm count in men
  • Miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth in women

If you believe that you or your family may have been exposed to lead-based paint or materials in military housing, it’s important that you get tested as soon as possible.

Contact your medical care team, your housing management company and relevant military authorities. The Army issued an updated guidance for military families living on Army posts. You can read it by clicking here.

 

Military Families File Lawsuit Over Mold in On-Base Housing

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Suing the government can seem like a losing battle. Remember the song “I Fought the Law and the Law Won?”

Fortunately for some military families at Keesler Air Force Base, the corporation which manages the on-base housing is a private entity and not the government which means they are not protected against lawsuits.

Eleven military families recently filed suit against the Hunt Southern Group and Hunt MG Property Management which manages Keesler’s on-base housing. The lawsuit claims the company did not adequately treat mold in the properties. The families have accused the property management company of fraud, conspiring to conceal dangerous conditions, breach of contract and gross negligence. Residents began complaining of mold in 2015, according to the residents, maintenance attempted to treat the mold with soap and water.

Search “How to Remove Black Mold” online  and you will be instructed to use products which contain chemicals such as bleach and ammonia. Soap and water does not populate in the search.

Military Families File Lawsuit Over Mold in On-Base Housing

Residents say they repeatedly requested the property management company to address the mold issue but say Hunt failed to do so.

In 2017 environmental testing of the properties discovered high levels of Aspergillus and some Stachybotrys. Aspergillus is a common mold, however high exposure can lead to allergic reactions and lung infections which can spread to other organs.

Stachybotrys also known as “Black Mold” affects the respiratory system. Symptoms of Stachybotrys exposure can include a chronic cough and wheezing, headaches and exhaustion. Additional symptoms can include hair loss, anxiety, confusion, memory loss and numbness in limbs. If not treated, long-term mold exposure can lead to severe illnesses and possible death, especially in very young children and people with pre-existing health conditions.

I bet this makes you want to run right out and sign a lease with your on-base housing office, right?!

The lawsuit contributes the mold to poor insulation of the air conditioning system which resulted in sweaty air ducts and water damage.

The combination of the water damage and humid hot weather in Biloxi, Mississippi, created a perfect nesting ground for the mold to grow and spread.

Residents say they repeatedly requested the property management company to address the issue but say Hunt failed to do so.

According to Cindy Gersch, vice president of corporate communications for Hunt companies, the corporation created a plan of action to address the mold concerns, which included an HVAC modification plan to remedy the condensation issue in the ducts.

It was unclear whether these changes were made prior to the lawsuit being filed. I can’t imagine anyone filing a lawsuit if this “plan of action” was put into place after the residents first complained.

All rental homes have flaws – creaky floors, leaky faucets, a noisy refrigerator – these things may be aggravating, but they won’t kill you. Mold is not just a minor inconvenience. It can cause some terrible symptoms and illnesses.

As members of the military community, we have all heard of or experienced buildings on bases which contain black mold. After all, mold is common in humid climates.

It is the failure to remedy the problem which is concerning in this case.

Unfortunately, the alleged mold found in the Hunt Southern Group properties is not an isolated incident among military housing.

Lawsuits have been filed against Lincoln Military Housing in the past and some monetary judgments were made in favor of the residents. Based on these cases the families at Keesler Air Force Base may stand a good chance of winning their lawsuit.

Does the discovery of toxic mold in base housing make you think twice about living on post?

Military Families Living On-Base Worry About the Safety of Their Drinking Water

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Military families may need to add drinking water to their growing list of lifestyle-related worries and concerns. A recent report from the Department of Defense confirms that potentially hazardous chemicals are in the tap water at many military installations.

Military Families Living On-Base Worry About the Safety of Their Drinking Water

A total of 126 military installations have polluted water that could cause health problems. Are you worried about drinking the tap water at your on-base house?

These recent reports have left a stain on the current White House and Department of Defense because it looks like a cover-up might have happened.

Don’t Drink the Water at Your Military Base

Before military families go into full-on panic mode, it’s important that we know exactly what we’re dealing with or at least understand as much as we can with the information currently available.

What is the issue with the drinking water?

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) are two chemicals commonly found in everyday objects. You can find PFOS/PFOA in everything from Teflon coating to waterproofing on fabric to fast food wrappers. It was phased out of use by American manufacturers starting in May 2000.

Why are PFOS/PFOA a concern?

According to the DoD report and additional reporting by news outlets, PFOS/PFOA exposure can be harmless in small amounts. However, repeated and long-term exposure comes with a host of health complications.

Both men and women can experience impacts on fertility. Babies may be born with developmental delays. Those exposed may experience increased cholesterol levels, increased uric acid and changes in liver enzymes. There may also be changes to the immune system too.

Finally, exposure to PFOS/PFOA may have an increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancers.

As of August 2017, 401 current and former military installations have had their water tested. Of those, 90 have water samples that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) levels.

Additionally, 2,668 groundwater sources have been tested. Of those, 1,621 have PFOS/PFOA levels above the EPA’s LHA. All told, 1,711 sites have compromised water sources.

Reports also indicate that a total of 126 military installations have polluted water that could cause health problems.

The DoD’s response at this time, according to their published report, is to educate the services, investigate the use of products containing PFOS/PFOA and begin planning for cleanup operations.

Since the water was tested in 2017, why wasn’t the water contamination report released earlier?

The PFOS/PFOA report is enough to cause public concern. However, it now appears that the White House and DoD officials might have prevented the immediate release of information.

Through emails obtained by the Union of Concerned Scientists, officials at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) warned the EPA of a “public relations nightmare” when the PFOS/PFOA report was released. These emails are dated January 2018.

Reports on the water contamination were released in spring 2018.

What can military families do?

If you are living on or near an impacted installation or groundwater source, it might be time to consider changing how you drink water.

Adding a water filtration system, according to a 2016 report on Water Online, can have some impact on the levels of PFOS and PFOA in your tap water supply. However, no single system has been shown to be totally effective for both categories or related chemicals. Granular activated carbon has been shown to be the most effective filtration system, along with nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

Another option is to switch to bottled water. The Food and Drug Administration monitors bottled water manufacturers to ensures compliance with health and safety standards.

Military families should also document health concerns that might be related to PFOS/PFOA contamination. Correlating your family’s physical location with health problems that might stem from exposure to chemical contaminants is important for long-term care and solutions.

Military communities have already banded together to provide documentation of military-caused health issues due to contaminated drinking water. Current and former residents of Camp Lejeune scored a victory in this arena.

Are you stationed at a military base with unsafe drinking water? What precautions are you taking to protect your loved ones from the threat of unsafe water?

Military Families Have a False Sense of Security Living On Base

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Living on base brings a sense of security. Families feel safer knowing that there are gate guards and military police. All the people on base must be honest and decent since they’re part of the military, right? Not necessarily.

You never know what a person is capable of and many military families leave themselves open to being taken advantage of because they have their defenses down.

Military Families Have a False Sense of Security Living On Base

Statistics released from the Pentagon show that 6,172 cases of sexual assault were reported in last year alone.

Take for example, a Marine Corps colonel that was recently convicted in a court-martial of sexually abusing a child. He was a highly decorated service member with over 30 years in the military. He had been on 11 deployments. He was sentenced to 5 and a half years in confinement.

The colonel was living on base at the time. How would you feel if he was your neighbor? You probably wouldn’t feel as safe living on base as you did before this.

It’s as if military families are blind to things such as sexual abuse and sexual assault while living on base.

If this is the case, then you might be surprised to know that sexual assault reports in U.S. military have reached record highs recently.

Statistics released from the Pentagon show that 6,172 cases of sexual assault were reported in last year alone. That’s up from the 6,082 reported in 2015. The number of sexual assaults reported have gone up dramatically from 2012 when 3,604 cases were reported. Is living on base starting to sound less safe?

You’ve felt safe leaving your door unlocked. You might let your kids walk to school, the movie theater, the park or to a friend’s house on base.

They were unsupervised, but because you are living on base, you feel like it is safe for them to do so.

You might not have let them do such things if you lived out in town.

Even if there wasn’t the threat of danger from service members or their family members, there are others on base that you might not think twice about.

Most military bases utilize contractors for multiple services. Think about those that take care of maintenance and lawn care. Your children might walk right past these people daily.

Do you ever stop to wonder what they are thinking? Are they watching your children? Are they talking to them? Would your children know not to go with them anywhere?

Perhaps seeing them so often makes them feel safe around them and then wouldn’t have their guard up. They could easily be taken advantage of in this case.

Living on base has many perks, but you still have to stay vigilant.

Take some time and talk to your family. Make sure that they are aware of their environment. Don’t let living on base make you or your family easy victims. Teach your children to be polite and friendly, but not to be naive.

You can’t guarantee that you can prevent something from happening, but you can try. Have a family discussion about safety.

Give your kids examples of what to look out for. They might not be faced with the usual ruse of a stranger offering candy or asking for help finding a lost dog. Abusers have become very clever in drawing out unsuspecting people.

While protecting your children is extremely important, you need to protect yourself as well. There is a recent report from an anonymous survey that showed that 14,900 service members were sexually assaulted in 2016 alone. This includes every type of sexual abuse, from groping to rape. While this number sounds staggering, it is actually down from the 20,300 people that said they were sexually assaulted in 2014. Sadly, 58 percent of those that reported it faced reprisals and even retaliation if they reported it.

Sexual assault is not necessarily caused by strangers. It may happen in the workplace, by superiors or by any other service member.

It could also happen in the home. Wives can be sexually assaulted by their spouse. According to a report, 78 percent of sexual abuse allegations stem from people the victim knew.

Don’t suffer in silence.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and know the name of the assailant, they should be turned in. You aren’t necessarily safe living on base, as they may live there too.

Do you think that military families have a false sense of security while living on base?

I Can’t Believe I Love Living on Base

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I never wanted to live in on-base housing. I always said I wouldn’t do it. Our family would always rent a house off-post.

My reasons for not wanting to live there were simple. I believed that everyone needs a transition between work and home and a daily commute provides that. I believed that if we lived on base, my husband would always feel like he’s being watched by other sailors. I thought that by living off post we would be more involved in our city and become close friends with our civilian neighbors.

I was wrong.

Two years ago, we had a quick PCS (less than 2 weeks) to get from California to Mississippi. We moved during the winter break, so that our daughter could start at her new school on the first day of the second semester. This PCS was further complicated when my husband told me that he would be leaving for a 6-month deployment less than 10 days after our household goods were delivered.

There wasn’t time to look for a rental home. There wasn’t time to compare school districts. There wasn’t time to review local crime data.

There simply wasn’t time.

So out of necessity, we decided to live on base.

It was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

I Can’t Believe I Love Living on Base

What do you love about living in base housing?

3 Reasons Why I Love Living on Base

Convenience

The convenience of living on base and having everything I need nearby was a lifesaver during deployment.

Besides my daughter’s elementary school and our public library, everything else is found on post. I enrolled my youngest at the on-post Child Development Center, which is located less than 2 miles from my house, and it was a perfect fit for her. She adored her caregivers and made friends quickly.

I feel blessed that there’s a fitness center with a pool, an NEX, commissary, gas station, post office, movie theater, chapel, youth center and 3-mile loop for biking or walking at my current duty station.

Did I mention that I can run to the commissary and be back to my house in less than 17 minutes?

I spend less time in my car and less money on gas because I live on base.

Community

On the first day in our new neighborhood, a neighbor delivered homemade muffins, coffee and orange juice. Children were stopping by to introduce themselves and invite my kids to play with them. Military spouses were giving me their phone numbers and telling me “if you need anything, just text me.”

This tight-knit community is what surprised me the most about living on base. I felt welcomed. I felt included. I felt like this was where I was meant to be living.

And during those tough days, like when I woke up with the stomach flu on Mother’s Day, my community took care of me and my children.

When my car’s oil change took longer than expected, my community picked up my daughter at the bus stop.

When my daughters grew out of their toddler dress-up clothes, we gave them to a princess-loving 4-year-old who lives around the corner.

When I made a huge pot of soup that my children refused to eat, I shared it with a family of 6 down the street.

That’s community. I wouldn’t have survived through 2 deployments without it.

Peace of Mind

I feel safe and my children feel safe on base. I feel like my house is safe, even when I’m not there.

During the summers I take my children to visit their grandparents for 6 to 8 weeks. We spend that time catching up with their relatives and enjoying small town life. I’m 3 states away from my house, but I’m not worried.

My peace of mind is worth it to live on base.

In my opinion, living in base housing is like living in a gated community without paying the prices that come with a gated community.

I’m loving my on-base neighborhood so much that I don’t think I’ll ever live off-post again.

Do you live on base and love it? What do you love about living in base housing? Tell us in the comments section.

How the Resident Energy Conservation Program Is Hitting Military Families Hard

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The Resident Energy Conservation Program (RECP) was created to make residents of military housing more aware of their energy use and to therefore reduce consumption. The goal is to lower energy use for environmental reasons and to save the government money.

So far the government is the only one seeing any savings as hundreds of military families find huge bills in their mailbox for energy they say was not justly charged or actually used.

The pilot for the Resident Energy Conservation Program took place in Hawaii between 2011 and 2012. In that initial test phase, the government saw a 9% reduction in use, which ultimately saved them $1.3 million according to Commander, Navy Installations Command. The reality for military families however was quite the opposite.

Compiled complaints show that military families consistently were charged $200 to $600 a month in electricity bills for over use. Many people claim that they did not use the equivalent amount of energy to justify such steep bills. Military housing says the bills are correct and have not done much to sway these families from feeling unjustly charged.

The pilot for the Resident Energy Conservation Program was considered by the government to be a success and over the last few years has been rolled out to all Marine Corps and Navy housing. It isn’t a bad program. In an effort to persuade residents to conserve energy, the program includes a reward element. The government’s research showed that when families embraced the Resident Energy Conservation Program that consumption fell 20%. To motivate families to achieve this, the Resident Energy Conservation Program was equipped with a credit or reimbursement for families that saved energy.

How does the Resident Energy Conservation Program determine use?

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is meant to cover the normal use of electricity or gas and water and sewer as compared to families with similar homes out in town.

To determine average use on base, the Resident Energy Conservation Program uses Like-Type Groups (LTGs). These are homes in the same neighborhood that are in the same condition and age. These could include homes with similar square footage and number of bedrooms as well as the type of home and the type of energy, gas versus electricity.

It does not account for the number of people in a household just as BAH is not adjusted for the number of family members. From this, a monthly Normal Usage Band is created.

The Normal Usage Band gives a leeway of 10% over and under, providing room for consumption. For residents that use 10% less than the norm, they are given a credit or rebate. Military families that go over the 10% rate are charged for the overage.

This makes the Resident Energy Conservation Program sound fair, but residents are receiving bills far beyond what they consider reasonable. When military families question the housing office, they say that is what was used and that is what is owed.

A number of military families have been able to have their meters tested for accuracy however. Some have found their meter was actually connected to a street light or a neighbor’s home. Military housing originally was not designed with individual homes running on meters. Specialists had to go in and set up meters. In some instances, those individuals merely guessed which lines went to which houses.

What can you do if you think your utility bill is wrong?

If you are living in military housing and believe your bill is not accurate contact the resident services manager or housing office. You can request a home evaluation to make sure all appliances are using energy efficiently as well. The manager can sit down with your family and help you understand ways to conserve energy. In the meantime, you still have to pay your bill. If you do not, you may find an eviction letter in your mailbox next.

There are waivers available for wounded warriors and families registered with the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). If your family uses excess electricity due to medical reasons, you can request a waiver from the Resident Energy Conservation Program. You can submit a request through the EFMP office or through the Wounded Warrior Bn.

If you are still unsatisfied, you can reach out to your chain of command. NCIS is conducting its own investigation in some areas so you can also contact them. Lastly, you can submit a claim to the Inspector General.

Do you think that military families are being scammed by the Resident Energy Conservation Program? What problems have you had with your bill when you lived in on-base housing?