Date Published: 05/07/2020 [Source]
The Defense Department has taken plenty of heat for health and safety problems in its privatized housing programs. But there are plenty of issues in government-owned housing too. A new inspector general's report found "systemic deficiencies" in dealing with lead-based paint, radon and asbestos in the relative handful of family housing units DoD still runs itself – mostly overseas. Investigators visited eight separate bases that account for 41% of military-owned family housing. They found base officials routinely failed to keep records on potential hazardous substances in those homes, and didn't issue warnings to the families living in them. The IG says the military services do perform inspections on their housing – but they're mostly focused on keeping homes in good condition, not on invisible health and safety threats.