Black mold can be seriously hazardous to one’s health, it can lead to all kinds of nasty symptoms so it’s important to deal with the problem as soon as possible.
You’d expect military barracks to have some higher standards when it comes to cleanliness and dealing with mold, after all, it’s a shared space literally housing soldiers who need to be in peak physical condition. However, a video on TikTok posted by a former soldier shows that the toxic fungus has completely overrun his living quarters. Before you watch the clip let me just warn you, it’s really really bad.
TikTok has become a pretty good tool for exposing neglect and as you can see in Manuel’s footage, his situation is a classic example of neglect. The black mold is prominent on almost every square inch of the kitchen walls – the room is practically a living, breathing organism in its own right. How anyone could seriously be expected to live in such conditions is crazy, just think of all the toxic air people nearby would have been breathing in!
The mold was the result of flooding
According to him, the barracks had been flooded while the soldiers were deployed in Korea. It seems in the time since the flooding, nothing had been done to prevent black mold from taking over. In a second part, Manuel gives more context, explaining that the event occurred between 2021 and 2022 in Fort Bliss, Texas.
He goes on to say that nobody was living in that room but there were people in the rooms next to and above it. He also claims that he spoke to the barracks manager about it and a work order was put in through a contractor. However, during his time there it seems that nothing was done about the issue and he admits that he doesn’t know what they did with the room, speculating that they might have just painted over the mold and let the next soldier move in.
As you can imagine, viewers were utterly disgusted with the state of the barracks with one commenting “Unacceptable that our troops have to live in barracks like this,” while another recommended documenting it for his medical records and disability claim.
Shockingly, this isn’t even an isolated incident. An article from ArmyTimes revealed that the army had found mold in 2,100 of its facilities, although it doesn’t name Fort Bliss in the article. Either way, it proves that Manuel isn’t alone in his situation and that this is a real issue that needs addressing.
The effects of black mold
Black mold is no laughing matter – it can have seriously negative side effects if an individual is in contact with it for any extended period of time. According to WebMD, the fungus can cause symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, itchy skin, itchy eyes as well as a series of respiratory problems like wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness of the chest.
Although experts disagree on whether black mold can be fatal, it’s thought that exposure can lead to a pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding in the lungs.) So the fact nothing was done to combat the spread is highly concerning.