Comments on: Did Trailer Makers Know About Toxic Fumes?

Exclusive: Workers Who Made FEMA Trailers Say Manufacturer Knew About Harmful Formaldehyde

[mandylou4u]

If those trailers were the only option at the time, that is what they would have to live with. I understand with the situation most of them didn''t have another option, but we really can''t rely on our government to actually help us without hurting us in the process. All I am saying is, if you are in this predicament, you have to do what you have to do at the time. Blaming people won''t work in this country.

[Syndicate]

The companies that knew should be sued out of existence.

[billpl-2009]

FEMA for disaster relief

Since when did they get into the slum lord business?

[mswolfestock]

Gulf Stream cut corners because they knew they could get away with it. All they wanted to do was get rich off of others'' misery. They were licking their chops over the huge amount of money that FEMA threw at them. Gulf Stream knew that they could easily buffalo those stupid FEMA inspectors. FEMA was just trying to cover itself after it failed so poorly at evacuating the affected areas before Katrina made landfall. So ironic - if FEMA had done its job in the first place there would not have been a need for these deadly trailers. But corporate greed is the American Way - we have been dying for others'' greed since the Revolution.

If these trailers are safe, then we should insist that the big-wigs at Gulf Stream live in them with their families and kids WITH ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS CLOSED.

[mandylou4u]

O.k. common sense, since we need to actually tell people this, common sense says if you smell something funny, open the window. Don''t complain when someone set you up in a free place to live for a while. That''s called bitting the hand that feeds. Only stupid people don''t understand this. I live in the south, with humidity everyday, but if I knew something in my TEMPORARY HOME was stinkin'', i''d open a window for a little while. That should have been enough influence on these folks to get off their beehinds and get something done. Yes they were sad for losing their homes, but also very very lazy.

[luvcomments]

We''ve known about the hazards of formaldehyde for decades. I remember even seeing warning tags about it in brand new mobile homes ages and ages ago. And I read where the US regulates the formaldehyde content in products made in the US but not in materials that are imported from other countries. Who are they kidding? Of course they knew of the hazards but it doesn''t stop with the trailers - the materials containing formaldehyde are in almost everything we have in our homes. Probably in our cars (upholstery, maybe even in dashboards), schools, etc. Whaddya expect? Isn''t this the place where money comes first and the welfare of the people is talked about forever by those who want to look good, but actually don''t give a tinker''s cuss about anything but their pockets?

[deacon20081]

Formaldehyde is also embalming fluid kids......
ironic is it not?

[teaman6]

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has regulated formaldehyde emissions from particle board and plywood used as building materials in mobile homes since 1985. HUD also has a ventilation requirement for mobile homes. Travel trailers and Park Model trailers are not covered by the HUD Code. So the manufacturer could have used materials that did not meet the HUD standard. Also from a physical view a small trailer has a larger surface area to volume ratio than a mobile home. Less ventilation, possible higher emmission rate and larger surface area to volume means a higher formaldehyde concentration in a travel trailer.


When setting appropriate standards for chemical exposure, traits of the chemical must be considered. In addition a decision about the target health effect must be established and the population to be protected must be established. Is the target health effect short term irritation or the long term risk of cancer? Should healthy adults, children, people with asthma be protected? Thus determining health based standards is a complex process of science and policy.

CBS has make a good start and I hope they continue to investigate the story and the complexities

[xmanborg]

Posted by mandylou4u at 11:08 AM : Jul 09, 2008

That stuff does not go away its imbeded into the wood its part of the process of making the press board. Also mandylou4u you said just open the doors well lets see you constantly open the doors and air the place out when the temp is 100 degrees and you have gulf coast humidity.

Your facts are uncordinated.

[mandylou4u]

all they had to do was tell people to open the windows and doors when you could. That stuff does go away in a matter of minutes and would have caused little to no damage in the way of health problems.

[whiskyrocker]

Another reason not to live in a trailer.

[anecdote1]

Nothing says ''home'' like a FEMA Formaldehyde trailer.

[mandylou4u]

Why didn''t these people find somewhere else to live? These trailors are not permanent residences. Anywhere else you look, folks homes get destroyed by tornadoes, hurricaines, earthquakes, etc. You don''t see them sitting there crying about it, they got up and rebuilt or relocated somewhere else. By now, everyone should know there is formaldehyde in a travel trailor, we can''t change what happened, but now there is no excuse for taking care of yourself and not expecting a government agency to do it for you.

[xmanborg]

CORPORATE GREED always wins out over PEOPLE AND PERSONAL Health Concerns.

[xmanborg]

I saw this last night on CBS and some of the former workers said they got nose bleeds and passed out due to the high amount of fumes coming from the low quality press board and other stuff.

Of Course Gulf Stream Coach & the Managers and Owners knew about these issues and they did not care. If you were a Major Owern of Gulf Stream Coach and there was a 522 million dollar contract IN YOUR FACE what one word would you use over and over again ?

The word is: YES, YES, YES we can do that.

[dsr57]

I believe that plenty of white people got trailers too. Maybe just fewer of them took up permanent residency

Posted by lovesamerica
----------------------------------------------------

HA HA HA That is an awesome statement

[coppertales]

Seeing it has been over two years since NO got flooded, why don''t these deadbeats get off their hind quarters and make something of their lives like get a job and their own place to live. Everyone blames FEMA but no one blames NO or LA for their non help with this problem. NO and LA were supposed to be the first line of response to this disaster in the first place. What did they do? The mayor of NO moved his family to Dallas into a half million house, and the state of LA had ZERO disaster plan. They just stood in a circle with their right finger pointed to the side blaming the other person for their stupidity.

[oleander8]

Posted by juwboy at 05:12 AM : Jul 09, 2008, "I wonder if the residents of these trailers breathed as much formaldehyde as perfectly healthy people who are exposed to formaldehyde daily, such as embalmers, pathologists and medical/biological researchers.
Are their symptoms real or compensation-induced?"

Are you serious? embalmers, pathologists and medical/biological researchers don''t eat, sleep, live in a formaldehyde environment without proper ventilation - nor are they babies and children.

You would do better to look at the profits of the managers of these companies. Stop blaming the victims.

[fralene-2009]

For all of you who are low life enough to think the Katrina victims should not quibble about poisonous trailers, I say look to your own houses and cars. Dozens of items you live with every day leach toxic fumes - those new clothes you like to wear without washing first, your carpet, anything made with particleboard, furniture fabric and padding, vinyl siding, vinyl mini blinds, PVC pipe, anything treated with flame retardants, etc. If you think the issue is so minor, then stick your noses up to any one of these items and breathe deeply - please!

[tootall10142]

If they had used NOVADECK FROM GEORGIA- PACIFIC THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.If i knew that some one had done this on purpose to my family they would never make court date.this why i dont have but a few friends i wont stand for this kind of behavior toward any of my family . i have very little regaurd for the persons well being that believes im ignorant enough too let this happen and have been jailed for it in the past.they *** well fear me far more than i worry about a air conditoned jail cell with free food and medical.