II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5318 

To direct the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the heads of certain 

agencies and organizations, to conduct a study on the health effects 

of indoor residential mold growth in military unaccompanied housing 

or other housing on military installations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2024 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mr. MURPHY) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 

the heads of certain agencies and organizations, to conduct a study on the health effects of indoor residential 

mold growth in military unaccompanied housing or other 

housing on military installations, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy at Home on 

5 Base Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD IN 

2 HOUSING OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 

3 (a) STUDY AND REPORT ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF

4 INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.— 

5 (1) STUDY.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

8 Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the 

9 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Af10 fairs, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De11 velopment, the Director of the Centers for Dis12 ease Control and Prevention, the Administrator 

13 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

14 Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Health 

15 and Human Services, the President of the Na16 tional Academy of Sciences, and the Chair of 

17 the board of directors of the National Institute 

18 of Building Sciences shall conduct a comprehen19 sive study on the health effects of indoor resi20 dential mold growth in military unaccompanied 

21 housing or other housing on military installa22 tions, using the most up-to-date scientific peer23 reviewed medical literature. 

24 (B) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted 

25 under subparagraph (A) shall ascertain— 


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1 (i) detailed information about harmful 

2 or toxigenic mold that may impact the 

3 military departments and individuals living 

4 on military installations, as well as any 

5 toxin or toxic compound such mold can 

6 produce; 

7 (ii) the most accurate research-based 

8 methods of detecting harmful or toxigenic 

9 mold; 

10 (iii) potential dangers of prolonged or 

11 chronic exposure to indoor residential mold 

12 growth in residential areas on military in13 stallations; 

14 (iv) the hazards involved with inad15 equate mold inspections on military instal16 lations and improper indoor residential 

17 mold remediation in military unaccom18 panied housing; 

19 (v) the estimated current public 

20 health burden of new or exacerbated phys21 ical illness resulting from exposure to in22 door residential mold and the effect of 

23 such exposure on the military departments 

24 and quality of life for members of the 

25 Armed Forces, including with respect to 


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1 readiness of the Armed Forces and the im2 pact on children in military families; 

3 (vi) improved understanding of the 

4 different health symptomology that can re5 sult from exposure to mold in indoor resi6 dential environments on military installa7 tions, including military unaccompanied 

8 housing; 

9 (vii) ongoing surveillance of the preva10 lence of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage 

11 in infants living on military installations; 

12 and 

13 (viii) longitudinal studies on the ef14 fects of indoor mold exposure in early 

15 childhood on the development of asthma 

16 and other respiratory illnesses of children 

17 living on military installations. 

18 (2) REPORT.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three 

20 years after the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 

22 Congress and the President a report that con23 tains the results of the study conducted under 

24 paragraph (1). 


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1 (B) FORM.—The report required by sub2 paragraph (A) shall be submitted in unclassi3 fied form, but may include a classified index. 

4 (b) HEALTH, SAFETY, AND HABITABILITY STAND5 ARDS AND MODEL STANDARDS.— 

6 (1) MODEL STANDARDS FOR PREVENTING, DE7 TECTING, AND REMEDIATING INDOOR RESIDENTIAL

8 MOLD GROWTH.—Based on the results of the inter9 agency health study conducted under subsection (a), 

10 the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the 

11 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

12 Agency, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel13 opment, the Director of the Centers for Disease 

14 Control and Prevention, the Assistant Secretary of 

15 Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, the Sec16 retary of Energy, the Executive Director of the Na17 tional Institute of Building Sciences, and the Presi18 dent of the National Academy of Sciences shall, in 

19 accordance with section 12(d) of the National Tech20 nology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 

21 (Public Law 104–113; 15 U.S.C. 272 note), jointly 

22 issue model health, safety, and habitability stand23 ards for preventing, detecting, and remediating in24 door residential mold growth on military installa25 tions, including— 


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1 (A) model residential mold inspection 

2 standards for military unaccompanied housing; 

3 (B) model indoor residential mold remedi4 ation standards for military installations; 

5 (C) standards for testing the toxicity of in6 door residential mold and any toxin or toxic 

7 compound produced by indoor residential mold 

8 on military installations; 

9 (D) health and safety standards for the 

10 protection of those inspecting for and remedi11 ating mold in housing on military installations; 

12 (E) standards for indoor residential mold 

13 testing labs that serve military installations; 

14 (F) model ventilation standards for the de15 sign, installation, and maintenance of air ven16 tilation or air-conditioning systems in housing 

17 on military installations to prevent indoor resi18 dential mold growth or the creation of condi19 tions that foster indoor mold growth in housing 

20 on military installations; and 

21 (G) model building code standards for 

22 housing on military installations to control 

23 moisture and prevent mold growth. 


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1 (2) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

2 possible, model standards issued under paragraph 

3 (1) shall be developed with the assistance of— 

4 (A) organizations that develop mold and 

5 water damage standards and work with military 

6 installations; 

7 (B) organizations involved in establishing 

8 national building construction standards and 

9 work with military installations; 

10 (C) organizations involved in improving in11 door air quality; 

12 (D) public health advocates that serve the 

13 military community; and 

14 (E) health and medical professionals that 

15 serve members of the Armed Forces and their 

16 families, including practitioners that care for 

17 children of members of the Armed Forces. 

18 (3) RESILIENCY.—Model standards issued 

19 under paragraph (1) shall take into account geo20 graphic diversity, propensity for extreme weather or 

21 flooding, and other resiliency metrics impacting mili22 tary housing. 

23 (4) DEADLINES.— 

24 (A) PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT.—The 

25 officials identified in paragraph (1) shall make 


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1 draft standards issued under such paragraph 

2 available for public review and comment not 

3 later than 90 days prior to publication of the 

4 final standards pursuant to subparagraph (B). 

5 (B) PUBLICATION.—Not later than three 

6 years after the date on which the results of the 

7 study conducted under subsection (a) are sub8 mitted to Congress in accordance with such 

9 subsection, the officials identified in paragraph 

10 (1) shall issue, and make available to the pub11 lic, final standards under this subsection. 

12 (5) REVIEW AND UPDATES.—The officials iden13 tified in paragraph (1) shall— 

14 (A) review the model standards issued 

15 under this subsection not less frequently than 

16 once every five years based on the latest sci17 entific advances and published studies relating 

18 to indoor residential mold growth; and 

19 (B) update such standards as necessary to 

20 preserve and improve the quality of housing on 

21 military installations and prevent the displace22 ment of those currently living on military instal23 lations. 

24 (c) CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW HOUS25 ING ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 

2 consultation with the Secretary of Housing and 

3 Urban Development, the Executive Director of the 

4 National Institute of Building Sciences, and the 

5 President of the National Academy of Sciences, to 

6 the extent such Director and President agree to par7 ticipate, shall develop model construction standards 

8 and techniques for preventing and controlling indoor 

9 residential mold in new residential properties on 

10 military installations. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—The model standards and 

12 techniques developed under paragraph (1) shall pro13 vide for geographic differences in construction types 

14 and materials, geology, weather, and other variables 

15 that may affect indoor residential mold levels in new 

16 buildings and on various military installations. 

17 (3) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

18 possible, model standards and techniques shall be 

19 developed under paragraph (1) with the assistance 

20 of— 

21 (A) organizations involved in establishing 

22 national building construction standards and 

23 techniques, especially organizations that do that 

24 work on military installations; 


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1 (B) organizations that develop mold and 

2 water damage standards on military installa3 tions; and 

4 (C) public health advocates that serve the 

5 military community. 

6 (4) PUBLICATION.— 

7 (A) DRAFT STANDARDS AND TECH8 NIQUES.—The Secretary of Defense shall make 

9 a draft of the document containing the model 

10 standards and techniques developed under para11 graph (1) available for public review and com12 ment. 

13 (B) FINAL STANDARDS AND TECH14 NIQUES.—The Secretary shall make the final 

15 model standards and techniques developed 

16 under paragraph (1) available to the public not 

17 later than one year after the date of the enact18 ment of this Act. 

19 (5) APPLICABILITY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION

20 AND REHABILITATION.—Not later than one year 

21 after the publication of the final model standards 

22 and techniques required by paragraph (4)(B), the 

23 Secretary of Defense shall include such model stand24 ards and techniques as a requirement for residential 

25 rehabilitation or new construction projects conducted 


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1 by the Department of Defense with amounts appro2 priated to the Department. 

3 (d) EDUCATION FOR MILITARY HEALTH PROFES4 SIONALS.—The Secretary of Defense shall include edu5 cation for military health professions on mold-related ill6 ness, including signs and symptoms of toxigenic mold ex7 posure, in recurring training received by miliary health 

8 practitioners at such time and in such manner as the Sec9 retary chooses. 

10 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.—The term 

12 ‘‘indoor residential mold’’ means any form of multi13 cellular fungi found in water-damaged indoor envi14 ronments and building materials, including 

15 cladosporium, penicillium, alternaria, aspergillus, fu16 sarium, trichoderma, memnoniella, mucor, 

17 stachybotrys chartarum, streptomyces, and 

18 epicoccumoften. 

19 (2) MILITARY INSTALLATION.—The term ‘‘mili20 tary installation’’ has the meaning given the term in 

21 section 2801(c) of title 10, United States Code. 

22 (3) MILITARY UNACCOMPANIED HOUSING.—The 

23 term ‘‘military unaccompanied housing’’ has the 

24 meaning given that term in section 2871 of title 10, 

25 United States Code. 


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1 (4) TOXIGENIC MOLD.—The term ‘‘toxigenic 

2 mold’’ means any indoor mold growth that may be 

3 capable of producing a toxin or toxic compound, in4 cluding mycotoxins and microbial volatile organic 

5 compounds, that can cause pulmonary, respiratory, 

6 neurological, gastrointestinal, or dermatological ill7 nesses, or other major adverse health impacts, as de8 termined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation 

9 with the Director of the National Institutes of 

10 Health, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel11 opment, the Administrator of the Environmental 

12 Protection Agency, and the Director of the Centers 

13 for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Æ 


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