Mold is slowly infesting homes on South Dakota reservations, threatening the health and welfare of tribal members.

On the Pine Ridge Reservation, 75 percent of the Oglala Sioux Tribe's 1,700 housing units are contaminated with mold, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. On the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Reservation, only 10 percent of nearly 1,000 homes have mold but tribal officials consider it a problem.

Overcrowding, inadequate housing and lack of funding contribute to mold, which can cause respiratory ailments like asthma and worsen existing health conditions. Tribal officials and members of Congress say more money is needed to combat the problem.

Get the Story:
Black mold endangers health in cramped homes (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/15)
Greatest need is new housing, Indians say (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/15)

Related Stories:
Navajo Nation homes contaminated with mold (03/02)
Official cites 'tight' budget for Indian housing (2/9)
Reservation homes plagued by mold problems (12/03)
Indian housing funds see no major increase (11/24)
Congress restores Bush's cuts to Indian programs (11/22)
Bush says housing program he's cutting is 'working' (08/12)
Judge dismisses suit over bad homes at Blackfeet (01/23)