IG report finds health hazards in Japan base housing, questions Pentagon policy

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan Mold and inadequate radon gas detection are posing serious health hazards to servicemembers living on military bases, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a report detailing 1,057 code violations in Japan base housing.

The report found elevated levels of radon a naturally occurring gas associated with lung cancer in multiple buildings throughout Japan, including one at Yokosuka Naval Base that registered nearly six times higher than recommended government limits.

The findings in Japan underscored what the IG stated was a problem affecting the military worldwide: The Defense Department has no uniform standards for detecting and fighting two serious health hazards.

Based on our inspection, the significant presence of mold and DODs current ad hoc approach to radon mitigation places unnecessary risk on the warfighter and their dependents, according to the report, released Wednesday.

The IG called for Pentagon-level instructions to detect and remedy both excessive mold and radon, but was rebuffed by John Conger, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.

Conger stated that the services differing standards reflects the continuing evolution in the knowledge of health risk assessment.

Because there is no U.S. federal standard for radon or mold in the U.S., there is no standard that would be applicable to U.S. facilities outside the U.S, Conger wrote in a July 24 memo.

The IG disagreed, citing several federal laws and standards calling for radon mitigation in federal buildings within U.S. borders. Stating a firm belief that serious health hazards such as these need to be addressed, the IG called for further comment from the Pentagon by Oct. 31.

The IG inspected housing and common areas at about 2 percent of all housing on select bases in mainland Japan and Okinawa between September 2013 and March, according to the report.

About half of all violations found were fire safety issues like missing smoke detectors, broken alarms and inadequate suppression systems.

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IG report finds health hazards in Japan base housing, questions Pentagon policy