6.3.2008 2:29 PM
Toxic FEMA Trailers May See Comeback in 2008 Hurricane Season
Agency May Have to Supply Troubled Trailers if Disaster Strikes
In a new twist in the story of toxic FEMA trailers on the Gulf Coast, the government has admitted that it may end up housing disaster victims in the troubled dwellings once again this hurricane season, reports the Associated Press.
After reports of victims being poisoned by harmful off-gassing of formaldehyde from the trailers, FEMA began taking steps to move people out of them. However, the AP obtained a copy of the agency's 2008 hurricane preparedness report, which concluded that the head of FEMA could approve the use of similar trailers, as long as they meet the agency's standard for low formaldehyde levels.
Specifically, in an absence of federal safety standards on travel trailers, FEMA has stated that it will not permit units with greater than 16 parts formaldehyde per billion parts of air. When the CDC tested FEMA trailers in use by Katrina victims, they had found average levels of 77 parts formaldehyde per billion parts of air, with some levels reaching as high as 590 parts per billion.
In the meantime, FEMA is reportedly testing various models of disaster housing, before ordering up more units. Hopefully, lessons will be learned from this story not just in terms of temporary shelter, but also in all our construction. Homes are supposed to be safe havens in stormy worlds, not something that poisons us -- especially when less toxic alternatives are increasingly coming online (even if the short term price is currently slightly higher).
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