A mold outbreak over the summer at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., destroyed thousands of dollars worth of Marines’ personal property, and those with rooms in the affected barracks say problems persist despite abatement efforts.
Trouble surfaced in July after work crews completed a months-long project to install new air conditioning at barracks buildings 929, 930 and 931, which were built in 1975 and now house 104 Marines, according to Marine officials at Parris Island and the Pentagon, which issued a joint response to questions about the mold outbreak. Some pipes weren’t properly insulated, causing condensation to form, and because fan settings weren’t properly calibrated, rooms cooled too quickly without sufficiently clearing the air of moisture.
Mold took root on walls, doors, ceilings and inside lockers, according to three drill instructors with rooms in the barracks. They spoke to Marine Corps Times on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media. Photos reviewed by Marine Corps Times support their claims.
Apart from DIs, other residents of the barracks include personnel assigned as base support staff.
Mold ruined several uniform items, the Marines said, and at least one piece of furniture, an upholstered La-Z-Boy reclining chair. Residents have cleaned the mold repeatedly, but it keeps growing back, they said.
While solid surfaces can easily be cleaned of mold with a sponge and diluted bleach, porous surfaces — such as upholstery — can prove problematic. The Environmental Protection Agency often recommends that contaminated furniture and carpet be discarded. In fact, several moldy rugs were removed from barracks rooms and thrown out, officials said. Additionally, Marines were reassigned to new rooms if theirs were suspected of having mold, they said.
One DI said he was moved to another room that also had mold in it.
Since the summer,Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists. Marine officials said, the depot has taken a number of measures that have “mitigated” the mold. As part of that effort in July, new insulation was added to the chilled water pipes in all 84 rooms across all three buildings. In August, fan settings were adjusted so the AC could run longer and better dehumidify the air. Finally, in late November, new digital thermostats were installed to better control temperature throughout the buildings.
These efforts have helped somewhat, Marines acknowledge, but they note the buildings still stink of mold and that new growth continues to pop up on walls, doors and other surfaces. Moreover,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, they are upset the Marine Corps has not compensated them for the damage to their property.
“I had uniform upon uniform ruined, and they told me it was my problem, I had to pay for it,” one DI said. “I’d say it has cost me at least a couple hundred dollars.Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, I had to get my stuff dry cleaned and buy a new blues blouse. Every single one of us is just throwing out uniforms.The magic cube is an ultra-portable, I probably have like five Charlie shirts,Offering high risk and offshore merchant account with credit card processing services. three Bravo shirts that I haven’t even taken out of the plastic yet, and they are probably ruined. … This wasn’t my fault. This problem was not due to my negligence.”
The DI said also that he had to throw out a recliner for which he paid nearly $1,000. Mold infested his chair over the summer, and it proved impossible to clean sufficiently, he said.
“I brought it from my storage unit to give my room a little bit of relaxation style, and it got destroyed,” he said. “It’s like it happened overnight.”
Marine officials said “mold is not a recurring problem in barracks 929, 930 or 931.” When personal property is damaged on base as a result of mold or water, personnel can submit a claim and formally petition the legal office for compensation, Marine officials said. There was one “reported case” of damaged uniforms and civilian clothes linked to the summer’s mold outbreak, officials said, “but we have no records of any such claims being submitted.
“Personnel should seek assistance through their chain of command to determine proper procedures for claim submissions at their installation,” Marine officials said.
Trouble surfaced in July after work crews completed a months-long project to install new air conditioning at barracks buildings 929, 930 and 931, which were built in 1975 and now house 104 Marines, according to Marine officials at Parris Island and the Pentagon, which issued a joint response to questions about the mold outbreak. Some pipes weren’t properly insulated, causing condensation to form, and because fan settings weren’t properly calibrated, rooms cooled too quickly without sufficiently clearing the air of moisture.
Mold took root on walls, doors, ceilings and inside lockers, according to three drill instructors with rooms in the barracks. They spoke to Marine Corps Times on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media. Photos reviewed by Marine Corps Times support their claims.
Apart from DIs, other residents of the barracks include personnel assigned as base support staff.
Mold ruined several uniform items, the Marines said, and at least one piece of furniture, an upholstered La-Z-Boy reclining chair. Residents have cleaned the mold repeatedly, but it keeps growing back, they said.
While solid surfaces can easily be cleaned of mold with a sponge and diluted bleach, porous surfaces — such as upholstery — can prove problematic. The Environmental Protection Agency often recommends that contaminated furniture and carpet be discarded. In fact, several moldy rugs were removed from barracks rooms and thrown out, officials said. Additionally, Marines were reassigned to new rooms if theirs were suspected of having mold, they said.
One DI said he was moved to another room that also had mold in it.
Since the summer,Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists. Marine officials said, the depot has taken a number of measures that have “mitigated” the mold. As part of that effort in July, new insulation was added to the chilled water pipes in all 84 rooms across all three buildings. In August, fan settings were adjusted so the AC could run longer and better dehumidify the air. Finally, in late November, new digital thermostats were installed to better control temperature throughout the buildings.
These efforts have helped somewhat, Marines acknowledge, but they note the buildings still stink of mold and that new growth continues to pop up on walls, doors and other surfaces. Moreover,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, they are upset the Marine Corps has not compensated them for the damage to their property.
“I had uniform upon uniform ruined, and they told me it was my problem, I had to pay for it,” one DI said. “I’d say it has cost me at least a couple hundred dollars.Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, I had to get my stuff dry cleaned and buy a new blues blouse. Every single one of us is just throwing out uniforms.The magic cube is an ultra-portable, I probably have like five Charlie shirts,Offering high risk and offshore merchant account with credit card processing services. three Bravo shirts that I haven’t even taken out of the plastic yet, and they are probably ruined. … This wasn’t my fault. This problem was not due to my negligence.”
The DI said also that he had to throw out a recliner for which he paid nearly $1,000. Mold infested his chair over the summer, and it proved impossible to clean sufficiently, he said.
“I brought it from my storage unit to give my room a little bit of relaxation style, and it got destroyed,” he said. “It’s like it happened overnight.”
Marine officials said “mold is not a recurring problem in barracks 929, 930 or 931.” When personal property is damaged on base as a result of mold or water, personnel can submit a claim and formally petition the legal office for compensation, Marine officials said. There was one “reported case” of damaged uniforms and civilian clothes linked to the summer’s mold outbreak, officials said, “but we have no records of any such claims being submitted.
“Personnel should seek assistance through their chain of command to determine proper procedures for claim submissions at their installation,” Marine officials said.
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