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Tonight at 6: The Navy’s $10 million mold problem

Posted at 4:24 PM, Jul 07, 2012
and last updated 2012-07-09 08:19:17-04

NewsChannel 3 showed you moldy military housing. But now, we've uncovered it in a Navy building on-base, where sailors and civilians worked and lived.

Since 1973, sailors and soldiers battling drug and alcohol addictions have been coming to Nimitz Hall, building J-50, on Naval Station Norfolk.

Until June of 2011, it was home to the substance abuse rehabilitation program, also known as SARP.

Tracy Brown works as one of the program's many counselors.

"The reward is to see we have helped somebody, out of their addiction, their struggle, their stronghold they had in their lives, but then, at the same time, we are being made sick and ill."

Sick, Tracey says, because of a dirty little secret kept from staff and patients - that the Navy did not want the public to know.

"She said, do you know that's mold in there? I said no, this is mold? Yes!"

And lots of it, according to the Navy's own reports.

NewsChannel 3 even discovered the warnings given to Navy leaders about the dangers to both patients and staff.

"Majority of patients when I was moved to this office complained of some sort of illness."

But still, the chain of command continued to let people live and work in J-50.

"I felt like I was decieved."

Watch the exclusive taking action investigation on the Navy's $10 million mold problem tonight at 6.