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Sen. Mark Warner checks in with military families dealing with mold

Posted at 8:52 PM, Dec 07, 2011
and last updated 2012-04-09 17:27:38-04

“I’ve been fighting it for four years, to get someone to come out and fix my house,” says Sue Corbitt. She is happy now that the fight is finally over for her and her family.

She showed off her brand new kitchen, new carpets, and new bathrooms to Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Bobby Scott.

All of the repairs that she has been waiting on for years were only completed after NewsChannel 3 started reporting on mold and maintenance issues in Lincoln Military Housing.

“Lots of maintenance that needs to be done wasn’t being done routinely. The group that we have now has been amazing,” says Corbitt.

Senator Warner also toured the former home of Angela Johnson.

The Navy and Lincoln say they moved her because of the large amount of work that needed to be done in her Sandpiper Crescent home. Her kids also had a history of asthma and breathing problems.

“I’m happy they moved me, got me to where I am, but I still think about the people behind me that are having the same issues,” says Johnson.

Angela is also concerned about her mold test results which showed two types of mold in her air conditioning system that experts call moisture indicators.

“They told me that black mold doesn’t affect children,” says Johnson.

“I have allergy testing saying my son is allergic to mold. Several of them are on there to be told by someone that’s not the issue. I was furious,” says Johnson.

The Navy tells NewsChannel 3 they have seen no patterns of illness among residents in Lincoln Housing, and this is more of a maintenance problem and not a public health concern.

“All I know is that I’ve got a daughter with asthma.  If she is in a home with any traces of mold, it gets inflamed,” says Sen. Warner. “Respectfully, you've got some Navy docs saying it’s not a problem. As a parent, I’m going to think it is a problem.”

Congressman Scott Rigell asked senior medical leadership last week to look into a possible link between health concerns and living in Lincoln Housing.

Today, the Senator also threw his weight behind the request.

“There are no federal standards for mold, but in my mind, there needs to be those standards,” says Sen. Warner.