Bio provides tips to combat mold

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  As the temperature gets hotter, the humidity continues to rise and the monsoon season kicks off, Wolf Pack Airmen are reminded the importance of proper mold prevention.

"There are more than a 300,000 species of mold," said Capt. Raymond Mak, 8th Medical Operations Squadron bio-environmental engineering deputy flight commander. "It's up to everyone to maintain their own personal areas."

The captain said mold grows best in damp and humid environments, which amply describes the current conditions at Kunsan. However, most molds are harmless to humans he added.

"Every species is different and everyone reacts to mold differently," the captain said. "It all depends on the type of mold and the environment you find it in. But for the most part, you shouldn't need to worry about it."

"Our job is to keep folks healthy," said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Hardy, 8th MDOS bio-environmental engineering industrial hygiene NCO in charge. "We're going to do what we can to ensure you don't have the mold in the first place."

Mak said if Airmen are seriously concerned for their health, they should schedule an appointment with their physician to determine if they have been affected.

"Most the time it comes down to the occupant of the room in question," said Staff Sgt. William Hamilton, 8th Fighter Wing command chief executive assistant and bio-environmental technician by trade. "If you see mold forming in your room, then clean it."

Mak suggests mixing water with no more than one cup bleach in one gallon of water. He said immediately treating mold helps avoid serious problems.

"Then if you can't fix the issue yourself, bring the problem up to your dorm manager and they'll take care of the issue from there," Hamilton said.

"If a resident is unable to remove the mold themselves, we will have the dormitory leader inspect the room and determine if we need to have the cleaning contracted out," said 1st Lt. Bryan Scism, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron housing flight chief. "But generally speaking, it is the resident's responsibility to maintain their room by running their dehumidifier and using a bleach water solution to attack any mold growth as soon as possible."

Bio-environmental engineering only gets involved if the medical group determines it to be a serious problem affecting Airmen's health, said Hamilton.

"We want to keep our Airmen healthy so they can take the fight north," Mak continued.

"Bio does this by working with CE to help folks get dehumidifiers in their areas and in the event there is mold, [after unit inspection] we can provide personnel with sources for mold cleanup," added Hardy. "We'll try our best to facilitate a healthy indoor living environment for Wolf Pack Airmen and our tenant partners."

For more information on how to triage and mitigate a possible mold infestation, call bio-environmental at 782-4670 or contact your dorm manager.