Debate rages on formaldehyde in FEMA trailers
By SHARON KERR Staff Writer

While debate about FEMA and formaldehyde rages in Washington, D.C., thousands of winter Texans are enjoying the last months of summer before they hook up their trailers in Maine and Michigan and head for South Padre.

Yes, their trailers are made of the same stuff and by the same manufacturers as the FEMA trailers. In fact, the particleboard cabinets and furniture, paneled walls and insulation, carpet and upholstery that emit formaldehyde in FEMA trailers also exist in homes, offices, and schools.

The Environmental Protection Agency website explains that formaldehyde is used in many manufacturing processes. It is a component of the "new" smell in cars, and why people sometimes complain of watery eyes right after new carpet is installed. It is an ingredient in what makes clothes "permanent press."

It dissipates over time, and therein lies the problem. Heat and humidity both increase the rate at which formaldehyde is released back into the air, so when a family shuts the air conditioner down when they leave in the morning, they do come home to "toxic tin cans" both because of heat and because there is such a low volume of air to dilute the formaldehyde.

The Sierra Club says they are "the first group to discover the toxicity of FEMA trailers" and have tested trailers in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama that showed that 88 percent have formaldehyde levels above the EPA's recommended limit.

Becky Gillette, toxics analyst for the Sierra Club, told the House Oversite committee in Washington, "Gulf Coast residents have been suffering from the health effects caused by these toxic trailers for over two years and with each passing day the long-term risks of cancer from formaldehyde exposure increase."

FEMA has distributed flyers about formaldehyde to all current occupants and set up a hotline to answer questions about formaldehyde-related issues at 1-866-562-2381.

The flyers advise those still living in trailers to minimize exposure by not smoking inside, lowering humidity and temperature, and increasing ventilation.

FEMA has shut down all sales of trailers, both the online GSA auctions and the sale to people still living in the trailers.

"We have put all sales to occupants on pause," said FEMA representative Don Jacks, who less than a week earlier had announced the sale.

Last week, The Jasper Newsboy reported that the Jasper Marshaling Yard holds 3,000 surplus trailers available at online auctions that began in May and were predicted to continue for months more.

Less than two weeks ago, FEMA began offering people who still needed the trailers two years after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina the opportunity to buy the them at $300-$350.

As of July 25, all sales have been halted while the CDC (Center for Disease Control) conducts testing of formaldehyde levels under actual living conditions in several Gulf states.

"Apparently FEMA was aware of the issue over a year and a half ago, but opted not to conduct testing to prevent possible legal liability," said Jasper County Judge Mark Allen.

Josh Davis, who manages the Jasper site, said no one is allowed to view trailers until further notice, but anyone who has bought a trailer is allowed to pick it up.

Ky Griffin of Stringer and Griffin Funeral Home says, "I work with it (formaldehyde) most everyday. We monitor our exposure and comply with OSHA standards."

Griffin said at one part per million (ppm) the odor is detectable. At 2 - 3 ppm, you may feel it in your nose and throat, 4-5 ppm may bring tears to the eyes, and at 10-20 ppm most people will experience burning in the lungs, coughing and shortness of breath.

Griffin said from the time he was born until six years old, he was raised in a trailer. In high school he worked in a plywood plant where formaldehyde is still commonly used in the manufacturing process. He is also an avid bike rider who organizes the annual Dam to Dam Bike Ride in October.

Griffin says he is as concerned with health as anyone, but he has worked with formaldehyde all his life. "Our exposure level is relatively small," Griffin said.

News reports have expressed concern for children, pregnant women and the elderly, who may be more susceptible to the effects of formaldehyde fumes.