FEMA knew about formaldehyde in trailers as early as 2005 and distributed them anyway...

[babylonsister]

Toxic Trailers Redux: When Did FEMA Know?
BY Deepa Fernandes
Mother Jones

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Newly found documents show OSHA detected dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers used to house Katrina evacuees as early as 2005—but FEMA mass distributed them anyway.:grr:


If you drive around Louisiana these days and scan the AM/FM offerings, you'll hear one recurring radio spot: In the wake of the latest tests showing high levels of formaldehyde emissions in federally issued trailers, FEMA wants to talk to all remaining post-Katrina evacuee trailer residents about how to get their living quarters tested for formaldehyde. What you won't find as easily on the dial, at least not yet, is Texas attorney Anthony Buzbee's allegation that FEMA knew about the formaldehyde problem even before the mass distribution of emergency homes began.

Buzbee is one of several lawyers representing over 10,000 trailer residents in a class action lawsuit against FEMA and more than 60 trailer manufacturers. He told Mother Jones that newly obtained Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) documents show the Occupational and Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had been testing formaldehyde exposure around the trailers as early as October 2005—almost a year before tests were made public. Indeed, when OSHA placed monitors on employees at various trailer distribution sites across Mississippi that fall, it discovered alarmingly high levels of formaldehyde emanating from the very same trailers the FEMA workers were distributing to evacuees. OSHA is required to inform employers, in this case FEMA, of excessive levels of formaldehyde; the 2005 test results revealed levels up to 6.7 times higher than what is deemed safe in a workplace. Says Buzbee, "The documents clearly show that FEMA was aware of the formaldehyde problem before it even distributed the trailers to the Katrina victims."

Disturbed by the brazenness of FEMA in beginning mass distribution of trailers it knew were toxic, Buzbee is pushing for a congressional investigation against the agency. While FEMA has not returned calls for comment on whether they had been informed of the OSHA results, Buzbee says it's standard policy for OSHA to notify employers immediately if they detect levels of formaldehyde that are higher than the permissible limits, and their procedure gives these employers 60 days to remedy the situation." Why, then, "would OSHA have broken this protocol and not told FEMA? After all, it was FEMA employees who were being directly affected by the formaldehyde exposure."

Formaldehyde is a somewhat complex gas, and different government agencies consider different levels safe. OSHA says that for workers, whose exposure would be periodic and total a maximum of eight hours per day, the allowable limit of formaldehyde is 0.75 parts per million. However, the Department of Health and Safety, through its Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, has a much lower limit of 0.008 parts per million, because its measurement is based on chronic exposure. Accordingly, while formaldehyde levels exceeded the OSHA limit in 12 cases out of the approximately 200 tests the agency conducted in Mississippi between 2005 and 2006, the ATSDR limit, according to Buzbee and borne out by FOIA documents, "was exceeded by many many times in every single case."

While the levels of unsafe formaldehyde exposure appear to differ widely, Buzbee asserts that the trailer residents have been exposed to far beyond what is safe by anyone's standards. His assertion holds water with the EPA, which considers any exposure over 0.1ppm—only slightly higher than ATSDR's—likely to cause adverse health effects. Says Michael Walsh, a professor at the NYU School of Medicine's Department of Environmental Medicine, "The bottom line is that if {formaldehyde} exposure exceeds the safety level, those who were exposed should be concerned."

And what are the symptoms of such exposure? Per the ATSDR: "Low-dose acute exposure can result in headache, rhinitis, and dyspnea; higher doses may cause severe mucous membrane irritation, burning, and lacrimation, and lower respiratory effects such as bronchitis, pulmonary edema, or pneumonia. Sensitive individuals may experience asthma and dermatitis, even at very low doses. Formaldehyde vapors are slightly heavier than air and can result in asphyxiation in poorly ventilated, enclosed, or low-lying areas."

more...

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032608E.shtml

[alstephenson]

1. I watched a special on this (60 Minutes?) and they interviewed one of the manufacturers...

of the trailers. He said that all trailers are manufactured with formaldehyde and that there are no regulations regarding minimum levels. For cryin' out loud - people were living in these trailers. Apparently there are regulations regarding formaldehyde levels in the workplace, but not in residential living areas? I guess because they are "travel trailers" they are not considered as permanent residences. WTF? Another case of the fox watching the hen house - we don't need no stinkin' regulations! It was reported that the residents are experiencing higher than normal levels of miscarriages. Kids and the elderly are especially affected with all kinds of health problems. I am so disgusted by this total disregard for the health and safety of Katrina victims. And so ashamed of my country for letting this happen.

[babylonsister]

2. I'm ashamed, too, alstephenson. Also ashamed that no one seems

to care anymore. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

[KT2000]

3. You've got it!

Homes are built with boards that contain formaldehyde. They are only required to stamp every tenth sheet with a notice that the product contains formaldehyde.
Fiberglass insulation has lots of formaldehyde - it holds the glass fibers together.
Clothing, bedding and furniture have lots of formaldehyde. No notice required and only voluntary requirements for keeping the amount low.
Consumer goods do not generally have any limits - consumers buy in good faith, but they shouldn't.

Japan and Europe protect their children - their clothing cannot contain formaldehyde, neither can underwear for adults. The US has no such restrictions.

What they are not telling you is that formaldehyde affects brain function as well. There are miles of literature that says "people report central nervous system problems and short term memory loss, confusion and fatigue but that has not been confirmed." This has been stated for decades.

[L. Coyote]

4. And all those million dollar land whale RVs? Worthless?? That's Karma.