VIDEO CBS 13 Investigates Beale AFB Homes With Mold

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May 15, 2006 9:55 pm US/Pacific

CBS 13 Investigates Beale AFB Homes With Mold

The base said they didn't have anything to hide.

VIDEO

Serene Branson

Reporting

CBS 13 - Sacramento,CA

http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_136010343.html

(CBS 13) SACRAMENTO The Air Force let CBS 13 into Beale AFB Monday,

confirming what has been reported by those living on the base.

Military families were provided with housing with mold. During the

course of our investigation 12 families came forward who had lived

in these mold-infested homes.

At fist, officials refused to let us on the base, but last week they

agreed to let us in and look at three of the 11 homes we asked to

see. They said that they have nothing to hide.

" The drywall right underneath the air conditioner may have

deteriorated and had some mold on as well, " said Colonel Mark S.

.

Colonel Mark S. took us to a home with a broken water main

that led to mold near the air conditioning unit. As a result, the

family hasn`t been able to run it for two weeks since they reported

the problem.

Serene: Does it take two weeks to get something like this fixed,

Colonel.

Colonel : It depends what parts they were looking for, for the

air conditioner. It depends on the work they have. I agree, that

this should have been a priority.

But for other residents, mold and other potential health hazard have

things forced them out. We were let into other two condemned homes.

Mold in a mechanical room forced a family out in November. They left

because they're baby was constantly sick. An inspection turned up

mold beneath the house, among other problems.

Colonel says the Air Force values the health of their

families. " We have no indication, no reason to believe that the

housing or the workplace is any reason why somebody should become

sick, " said Colonel .

Serene: Why do so many kids have sicknesses? Do you think it's just

out of coincidence?

Colonel : No, again I don't believe it's an odd coincidence.

Again I'd be reluctant to comment on any specific cases.

The third house, also vacant had mold in the windows around the

windows in the bedroom.

We were told that it takes weeks to get out of the house. They were

told to treat the problem with mold. Colonel says he takes

the condition seriously and acts quickly.

Serene: How big a problem is mold or other hazardous conditions on

Beale?

Colonel : It probably has been going on for years. But most

recently, and again, this past winter due to the much higher and

moisture rain than there was previously it was even more of a

problem that it has been in the previous years.

Residents at Beale say that mold has been a problem for years.

Colonel says that the mold has been exacerbated by the high

allergies that are bothering people this season. He says that they

have hired a construction company that is going to renovate the vast

majority of condemned homes on the base. That could happen by the

late summer.

We were taken by some of the Colonel's quarters that are higher up

on higher ground on the base. They don't have mold problems, but he

says they have problems of their own.

Most of the video was taken from rooms of the home. None of the mold

was in the interior except around the windows. The mold in the

mechanical room was in a room that was outside the home. But some of

the pictures we were shown by residents showed a problem that

existed inside of the homes.