FORT KNOX, Ky. — Mold is a fact of life no matter where you live.
Don’t take our word for it. Experts in molds make this fact abundantly clear.
“This holds true for anywhere else in the world. Fungi in living spaces, is naturally occurring, and there is simply no way to eliminate it completely,” writes licensed Florida mold assessor Brad Fishbein at lookmold.com. “However, some states are more susceptible to mold compared to others.”
Fort Knox Housing Division director Mary Ellen Correia said there is plenty of mold to be found in and around Fort Knox. It lives with us all.
“Welcome to Kentucky and Ohio Valley,” she said. “Mold is in the environment, and as soon as you open your door, you’re letting mold spores in.”
Correia said Knox Hills, as a result, has expectations for its residents regarding mold and mildew. The first is personal responsibility.
“If a resident sees mildew or mold, they’re expected to attack it right away and clean it up at the first sighting of it,” said Correia. “If it’s beyond their capabilities, they can go to Housing and request that it be evaluated.”
Correia said unless the spread of mildew or mold is less than 10 square feet, the understanding is that residents should be able to handle it themselves with cleaning products.
“Bathrooms are usually the worst, and residents can open a window or turn on their exhaust fan to let the humidity dissipate, then close the window or shut off the exhaust,” said Correia. “Some of the houses even have humidistats, where the fan stays on until the moisture is all gone.”
Mold experts indicate that there are conditions more suited to mold than not. One of those is the amount of precipitation. Kentucky ranks high on the list of rainfall – fifth, in fact, behind Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Another condition is the level of humidity. Experts consider this factor crucial to the growth and spread of mold spores, which can be found on clothing, furniture and other personal items. Kentucky doesn’t even make it on the top 10 list of highest relative humidity numbers.
Building designs, people’s lifestyles and susceptibility to certain mold spores are other factors. Correia said different people are more allergic to different spores.
“You need a source of food for the mold to grow on,” said Correia. “Wet walls or cabinets can be that, but Knox Hills can bring over fans to make sure areas get aired out properly.”
Persistent water damage is big factor, considered critical for the growth of mold spores that can eventually turn deadly.
“If they have a roof leak, or their basement is flooding, or a long-standing leak under their sink that they didn’t notice, that can be a problem. They should call Knox Hills and have them come out and look at it,” said Correia. “If they think they’re not getting the assistance they need, they can call [the Housing Services Office].
“If the mold is a major issue, Knox Hills will call in a third party to come out and take care of it.”
Those who need to report mold can call their Housing representative. Those who encounter mold can call Environmental Management Division at 502-624-3629 or Garrison Safety at 502-624-3381. They should also submit a Demand Maintenance Order to the Directorate of Public Works at usarmy.knox.id-training.mbx.dpw-work-orders@army.mil.
Council-certified microbial investigator Tony Ritenour said employees who encounter mold in the workplace should also place a work order on the Army Maintenance website at AMC Login - ArmyMaintenance.com.
One situation that has promoted mold growth in housing areas is Soldiers deploying and leaving their quarters unoccupied. In that case, Correia asks that Soldiers alert somebody from Housing about when they will deploy, and then that the resident appoints someone to check the house regularly, so issues don’t arise while they’re gone.
Correia said Fort Knox has had no occurrences of dangerous mold spores to date. Of the roughly 2,300 homes at Fort Knox, less than 1% have required some form of mold remediation.
“We’re doing really well,” said Correia. “Mold is in our environment; there’s nothing we can do about that. But if people are diligent to control their moisture levels and contact housing officials about any leaks, we will continue to do well.”
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