Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Fort Riley, Kansas. Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images
Military children are being harmed by lead poisoning in homes on bases around the U.S., a Reuters investigation found.
The big picture: Military housing serves approximately 30% of families, and the older homes on base can pose a threat by containing lead paint. A toxicity researcher at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Bruce Lanphear, told Reuters: "These are families making sacrifices by serving. It appears that lead poisoning is sometimes the cost of their loyalty to the military."
The details
In the 1990s, on-base military housing across the country — around 300,000 homes — "was decaying and starved of funding," Reuters reports.
- In 1996, the military started privatizing its housing; "It was meant to rid bases of substandard accommodations and save taxpayers billions."
- Twenty years later in 2016, a DoD Inspector General report revealed "poor maintenance and oversight left service families vulnerable to 'pervasive' health and safety hazards."
Reuters, choosing families from a private Facebook group of those concerned about unsafe military housing, tested for hazards at 11 homes at seven bases around the country.
- Eight of the homes — in New York, Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky — "had blatant hazards in children's play areas." Paint at the homes "had 'very high' or 'extremely high' lead content."
By the numbers
The investigation found: 31 kids at Fort Benning in Georgia tested high for lead over a six-year span.
- At least 77 children tested high levels at Kansas' Fort Riley, Texas' Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, and Louisiana's Fort Polk.
- More than 1,050 kids had high lead levels according to blood tests at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas between 2011 and 2016. The medical center receives blood tests from U.S. bases around the country.
- 75% of 90,000 homes across the country did not meet standards of safety, the Army acknowledged in a 2005 environmental study.
The Army said to Reuters in a statement: "We are committed to providing an safe and secure environment on all of our installations, and to providing the highest quality of care to our service members, their families, and all those entrusted to our care."