Are FEMA trailers ‘toxic tin cans’?

[CountAllVotes]

Private testing finds high levels of formaldehyde; residents report illnesses

By Mike Brunker
Projects editor
MSNBC
Updated: 8:43 a.m. PT July 24, 2006

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — For nearly a year now, the ubiquitous FEMA trailer has sheltered tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. But there is growing concern that even as it staved off the elements, it was exposing its inhabitants to a toxic gas that could pose both immediate and long-term health risks.

The gas is formaldehyde, the airborne form of a chemical used in a wide variety of products, including composite wood and plywood panels in the thousands of travel trailers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency purchased after Katrina to house hurricane victims. It also is considered a human carcinogen, or cancer-causing substance, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The gas is formaldehyde, the airborne form of a chemical used in a wide variety of products, including composite wood and plywood panels in the thousands of travel trailers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency purchased after Katrina to house hurricane victims. It also is considered a human carcinogen, or cancer-causing substance, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

And all but four of the trailers have tested higher than the 0.1 parts per million that the EPA considers to be an “elevated level” capable of causing watery eyes, burning in the eyes and throat, nausea, and respiratory distress in some people.

more:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14011193/

[uppityperson]

1. tent, moldy house, trailer. What a choice.

SNAFU

[CountAllVotes]

2. yep

and I suspect they are supposed to be thankful for living in a cancerous death trap!

:kick:

[pitohui]

3. formadehyde is always an issue in any new dwelling

it doesn't have to be a trailer, if you have carpet and/or paneling in a new home or new carpet, then you have an issue w. formaldehyde

people need to be informed to air the damn thing out for a week or so

we had a good long drought after katrina w. all the mosquitoes blown away so this shouldn't have been so hard to do at the onset, of course, now the mosquitoes are back full force and if windows are not screened, it's a bigger issue

but i see no point in filling people full of fear who have no other place to live

when i put in my new carpet, then i opened the house and blew fans to get the formaldehyde out faster, i think every reader of "bird talk" does this but maybe the people who don't have pet birds don't know about this? because bird owners have been aware of the issue for a good two decades

not just fema trailer people but people restoring their homes need to be aware of the need for air to circulate!

[CountAllVotes]

4. I had new wall-to-wall carpeting put in my house a few years ago

And wow, what an awful reaction I had to it. I could barely breathe it made me so sick. It had been down for a couple of weeks before I actually was living in the house after the carpet was laid.

However, I have a strong dislike for trailers as I've seen how junky they are and awful to live in for the most part.

I guess it is better than a tent or nothing at all.

I guess these are our new "*villes" for all to enjoy might I suggest?

:kick:

[pitohui]

8. one of my friends is still in a FEMA trailer

believe you me, she is glad to have it, she doesn't know yet if the gov't is going to buy out her home -- the insurance paid off her mortgage but now it's just a ruin sitting there that can't be repaired

i think the gov't will offer her something under the "road home" plan, they honestly can't expect anyone to live there again, it's very near the london avenue canal breach and the army corps of engineers can't seem to figure out how to fix the breach, so rebuilding is quite quite pointless

but while it all gets sorted out, she has to live somewhere and she wanted the trailer rather than living with family members, having some independence is quite important to many people who are used to working and being independent

the trailer is actually on a family member's property but this allows her to have her own place to go, rather than being an endless guest in the house

[anotherdrew]

6. a week, you smell it for a week, it keeps outgassing much longer

they need to build shit without the formadehyde in the first place. That and other chemical outgassing. To the extent that it's unavoidable in manufacturing, then the manufacturing should include forced rapid outgassing as part of the process such that the materials are no longer releasing significant amounts of toxic fumes.

[merh]

10. Like we don't know that.

I am a trailer dweller and I have a right to be concerned.

Stop telling me how to live in this crisis and stop judging all victims of Katrina by what you know and how you live.

I am sort of sick of reading your posts where you act as if you are the only one that knows what is going on in the affected regions. You don't.

You are one of the lucky ones that had a home to rebuild.

Realize that you don't know it all and all of your sage advice may not be appropriate or even warranted.

[Rex]

16. Had no idea, thanks!

Formaldehyde eh? Jeez, I'm glad my house was built in the 30's. So what should I fear, expect to die from in such an old home? Kidding, I'm sure the asbestos saturated my lung tissue years ago. Then again, I'm a walking toxic factory so I'll take my chances.

[anotherdrew]

5. this has been a problem with mobile-homes for decades

why has nothing ever been done? one answer - republicans!

[pitohui]

7. it's a problem w. conventional homes as well

if you have new carpet and paneling in a "tight" home, it's going to be an issue if it is not properly aired out


i strongly urge people to air out homes, trailers, etc. when they are new or when new carpet/paneling etc. is installed

birds are our canaries in the coal mine, and they are most sensitive to this in the short term, as far as sudden death, but people can experience short term irritation and as the story says there may be a cancer link as well

[Mnemosyne]

9. When I bought a new trailer in the mid-80's there was a

notice on the counter advising the purchase of spider plants to combat the problem. I did, but have no clue if it was effective or not. Lived there 5 years. :shrug:

[pitohui]

17. NASA studies show the spider plants do help

that is good advice, i used to use them also

no doubt i should replace my spider plants, they don't cost, they pay really

NASA's concern is that such things as skylab and other space capsules etc. pretty literally "toxic tin cans" since for obvious reasons they have to be tighter than any home

[Mnemosyne]

21. Thanks for the NASA info pitohui. Hopefully I

won't be living in a trailer again (too loud in storms)or buying new carpet (wood floors rule!)or paneling (yuk), but good to know something actually does help.
:hi:

[Bruce McAuley]

11. Might I suggest room ionizers?

I know this is a contentious issue, but my wife is exceedingly sensitive to outgassing as well as many other airborne irritants. And that's the point: If these molecules were NOT airborne, you would NOT inhale them, thus no allergies to them if you vacuumed them up from the floor every so often.
The ionizer has issues too, some reports mention the high levels of ozone are not good for you, like smog.
On the other hand, they DO work to knock scents out of the air by attaching a positive ion to the scent/toxic molecule which drops it to the floor. If you vacuum often enough, you can get rid of the outgassing without breathing it.
Just a little something I've picked up from personal experimentation.

Bruce

[merh]

12. I'm willing to try anything.

Which brand do you think is the best?
If you are not comfortable typing the info, please pmail me.

thank you

[Bruce McAuley]

13. Just about any cheap one on eBay or a thrift store will work

I somehow ended up with the Holmes brand, and they've been around for a while and are pretty cheap on the secondary market. Any brand will work, you don't need the filtering function as much as the ionizing function. Sure the filter will collect gunk, but a major portion of the outgassing will end up on the floor. Vacuum a lot if you have crawling kids or toddlers until the outgassing from the new rug or plastic whatever quits, which can be quite a while for some who are REALLY sensitive to these chemicals, likely formaldehyde.
Again though, the ionizer does appear to really knock the scents down to where you will not smell it after a couple days, and I think thats the point, not inhaling it.
Good luck, you can usually find cheap ionizers at thrift stores in the $10 range, I got one delivered here to my house for $12 from eBay.

Bruce

[pitohui]

15. there's a reason they're on the secondary market, bruce

not to be mean but i didn't pass mine on, i thought it would be wrong to re-sell these items after finding out abt the ozone issues

see my other post

[merh]

19. Thank you.

It is worth a try! :hi:

[pitohui]

14. i had no luck with room ionizers

and if you don't vacuum enough, they make these spider web thingies, so it's pretty disturbing

i actually felt better after my ionizers were removed -- i think there must be some truth to the claim that the ozone is dangerous, keep in mind ozone is a component of smog and does damage the lungs, just because you may not notice the ozone doesn't mean harm is not being done, i'm pretty sure ozone is linked to the huge asthma problem in los angeles for instance

formaldehyde does break down in air and sunlight, so i think actually airing the place out is the best bet -- well for the gulf coast anyway, what you'd do in los angeles i would have no clue! :-)

[Bruce McAuley]

18. Yup, I said it is a contentious issue...

And i just want to mention that ionizers DO work for certain things, one of which is knocking down scent molecules.
We don't use ours all the time, we live in an older mobile home that finished outgassing years ago. Some people might find the "cure" worse than the disease, but everybody is different in what they're sensitive to, and at different times in their life.
I'm not claiming they're the greatest thing since sliced bread, but maybe a sensible plan would combine ionizing as well as lots of airing the unit.
My wife has multiple chemical sensitivities, as well as asthma, and she has not noticed any worsening when the ionizer is running. Like I said, we don't use it realy often, we avoid new carpets and brand new dwellings if at all possible.
I've heard some outgassing can go on for years.

Bruce

[pitohui]

20. yeah i just got totally freaked out by mine

what was scary was to go out of town and come back to find these gray...cobwebs...for lack of a better word that had formed

then i was given some literature suggesting that the same thing was taking place in my lungs

i had one hanging in a light socket right over the bed!

i got totally freaked and i just couldn't feel right selling them or giving them away, i trashed 'em

may have been an over-reaction tho

you just do what you gotta do and then there is no point worrying any more, stress is also a risk factor for illness, and some people have nowhere else to go for the time being

you do the best you can