Congress Seeks Truth About Toxic Trailers
Internal Document Questions What FEMA Knew About The Trailers CBS News Investigated
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FEMA Aware Of Toxic Fumes
Children have been getting sick from inhaling toxic fumes in FEMA travel trailers since Hurricane Katrina. Armen Keteyian reports that FEMA may have known about the problem more than a year ago.
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FEMA Trailer Builder's Illness
Terry Slone, a former employee of Gulf Coast Coach, says he got sick while building trailers for FEMA's Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.
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People In FEMA Trailers Ill
The government says 86,000 families are living in FEMA trailers in Katrina's wake. A doctor has noticed a curious link between people getting sick and where they live. Armen Keteyian has more.
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The head of FEMA, David Paulison, addressed the formaldehyde issue on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. (CBS)
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FEMA travel trailers sit at a staging area in Selma, Ala., in 2005. The formeldahyde used in the construction of the interiors of trailers like these could be making thousands of kids sick. (AP)
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Children are getting sick after prolonged exposure to fumes from the toxic chemical formaldehyde used in construction of thousands of FEMA travel trailers.
In the wake of that report, there are now calls for a congressional investigation, as well as new information that FEMA may have known about the problem more than a year ago.
Some 86,000 families still call FEMA travel trailers home. Formaldehyde fumes seeping from these trailers pose a serious health threat to some young children.
On Wednesday, the man in charge at FEMA, David Paulison, had this to say on Capitol Hill: "The formaldehyde issue was brought to our attention and we went out and investigated and used the EPA and other agencies to do testing. We've been told the formaldehyde does not present a health hazard."
Paulison's comments were based upon a report publicly released by FEMA two weeks ago.
Read the report (14 pages).But according to an internal FEMA document obtained by CBS News, FEMA knew of extremely high levels of the cancer-causing chemical more than a year ago, after its own employee safety department ran tests in March 2006.
Those tests, done on 28 trailers, found at least 20 had levels of formaldehyde much higher than the EPA's recommended workplace limit of .1 parts per million. In one case, as much as 1,000 percent higher.Read the internal FEMA document
Stay up-to-date on the investigation by checking out CBS News' investigative blog, Primary Source
"This takes the cake," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. "Now people living in the trailers have to worry if their children are breathing fumes that could cancer or some other disease."
After our report, Landrieu called for an investigation. A Republican congressman has also called for hearings into what FEMA knew ... and when.
Today, a FEMA spokesman said the internal document presented a "worst-case scenario" and that CBS News was misinterpreting the data. FEMA also said the chief medical officer for Homeland Security has begun looking into the matter.
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I doubt many in congress ever spent many vacations in one since most probably started college with a BMW and went to 5 star resorts during break. Get in touch!
My family has owned 3 mobile homes and spent weeks in them in all climates never once had a problem in over 17 years.
Kick everyone out and throw away the trailers.
Katrina was 2 years ago, why are those people still there?
Posted by bullis9
Weeks is NOT the same as year round, nor were the mobile homes you lived in likely to have been ALL particleboard and krap like these cheap trailers are made of.
The Govt ordered 50,000 of them ASAP, so like what do you think? they are going to be made of KRAP, put together slam bang with a nail gun like KRAP, and insulation full of formaldehyde foamed into the walls, thus the chipboard walls, floor, ceiling, carpeting, cabinets, insulation and everything else is FULL of formaldehyde and chemicals.
Chipboard/particleboard is made of sawdust and wood shavings- basically waste KRAP all bound together with a chemical cocktail of adhesives, it's largely adhesives and chemicals, with a little sawdust and shavings mixed in-
C H E A P K R A P
It's good that in over 17 yrs that no one in Bullis9's family has had any issue with cancer or other illness that could be triggered by exposure to these chemicals. But it seems awfully short-sighted to think that because Bullis9's family has been exposed to formaldehyde and had no health problems, that the levels of formaldehyde that Katrina victims are exposed to shouldn't cause any health problems.
My thought is that cancer is one of these diseases that can take a long time (more than 17 yrs) to develop and research is only uncovering more of the reality that cancer can take a long time to manifest itself after exposure or even with continued exposure to harmful chemicals. I have lost 3 family members to cancer. And these people didn't smoke or drink and lived pretty healthy lives. So, I think the jury is still out on how cancer can develop from exposure to harmful yet everyday chemicals.
I know you have ties to the area, but if nothing is left but memories, then pick up your family and move out.
Hmmm...what if they were living paycheck to paycheck before the hurricane, and their transportation went swimming with their house and jobs?
Strap some suitcases on the kiddies and go hitchhiking somewhere you hope there will be a job?
Hmmm...what if they were living paycheck to paycheck before the hurricane, and their transportation went swimming with their house and jobs?
Strap some suitcases on the kiddies and go hitchhiking somewhere you hope there will be a job?
Posted by ibsteve2u at 09:37 PM : May 18, 2007
Hey steve 2 me,
Sounds like that would have been a good time for them to pick up and move somewhere else and try to find a life better than what they had. If they were living paycheck to paycheck, then there was nothing to lose. FEMA, Red Cross, religious organizations and numerous other agencies were handing out stipends for folks to reorganize with. I live in a city where lots of them came at first just to evacuate, now they have found homes and jobs. It can be done if you want it. But there are those that are always looking for a handout and a reason. I feel that some of these folks are that type.
Newster1, Have you ever been camping in a trailer? It might change your opinion. The quality of the construction has nothing to do with the materials used. The trailers these folks are living in are definitely not cheap as you say. They are not solid oak cabinets and Corian countertops but they are not cheap. I will not vouch for the quality of the construction because in this area all manufacturers can have issues.
Trillion1, these trailers that were acquired came from every major trailer manufacturer (Jayco, Fleetwood, Forest River, Salem, Keystone, Thor) as FEMA was buying up all available stock. They were even taking units that had been ordered by customers. They did not go with the lowest bidder. Even those manufacturers that make entry-level trailers can produce a quality product.
Right now there are more what we call "full-timers" living year round in their trailers and motorhomes than there are folks living in trailers in La. And many of them have been doing it for 10, 15, even 20 years or more without any ill effects.
The article is making it sound like everyone living in a trailer is going to develop cancer.
Maybe FEMA should read the data sheets out LONG ago showing that formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen, seems they are the last to read anything!
To the folks who want to move BACK to N.O. into rebuilt homes- GET OUT! are you really THAT stupid? this city is several FEET below sea level, at the same time the land is subsiding ownward each year in measureable amounts, the sea level is rising due to global warming/glacier melting, this city WILL be under water again absolutely, time to stop spending money on this underwater drain and move to higher ground and abandon this dump.
I notice the "sick" boy in the video clip is laying in his bed in the "fume filled" trailer despite the nice warm sunny day outside, if the fumes are making him sick he should be OUTSIDE not laying in a bed full of formaldehyde next to walls full of it!
The article is making it sound like everyone living in a trailer is going to develop cancer.
Posted by DznyFan"
YEAH- full timers in their $250,000 Pace Arrows and Winnebagos, not $8,000 JUNK thrown together with the cheapest krap as quickly as possible. Watch the video tape, even the guy interviewed who worked at the plant said the krap that was delivered to the plant for raw materials STUNK real bad- that's clue #1
Travel trailers are absolute krap, many motor homes and 5th wheels are not much better, and some mini motorhomes already exceed the truck maker's allowed load capacity on the rear axles BEFORE anything is put in like water, people, luggage, food.
Ever see what happens when one of these rolls over on the freeway? I have- the thing disintegrated, only thing left was the metal frame and axle.
Having been on the receiving end of such assistance it was greatly appreciated. knowing that the government allowed in defective trailers is nothing more than bad news among the already bad issues which stil revolve around such horriable storms.
I lived Through ivan, Katrina, Charlie, Denis,camille,Andrew I think I know about being hit by hurricans enough to know.
I finally moved away from Florida and the gulf coast I was tired of starting over every 5 to 10 years
Kick everyone out and throw away the trailers.
Katrina was 2 years ago, why are those people still there?
Posted by billpl
You sound like a republican.
Maybe FEMA should read the data sheets out LONG ago showing that formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen, seems they are the last to read anything!
To the folks who want to move BACK to N.O. into rebuilt homes- GET OUT! are you really THAT stupid? this city is several FEET below sea level, at the same time the land is subsiding ownward each year in measureable amounts, the sea level is rising due to global warming/glacier melting, this city WILL be under water again absolutely, time to stop spending money on this underwater drain and move to higher ground and abandon this dump.
I notice the "sick" boy in the video clip is laying in his bed in the "fume filled" trailer despite the nice warm sunny day outside, if the fumes are making him sick he should be OUTSIDE not laying in a bed full of formaldehyde next to walls full of it!
Posted by newster1 at 02:17 AM : May 19, 2007
hey newster1,
Thanks for the geography lesson. YES, we know it's below sealevel. We are not STUPID. Here's one for you, Hey California, watch out for EARTHQUAKES; Hey MidWest, why do they call you TORNADO ALLEY?, Oh, and New York and the rest of YOU GUYS, real sorry about the 14+ feet of SNOW this year.
In addition, maybe the little guy was TOO SICK to go outside and play.
Posted by ttinsly at 09:27 AM : May 19, 2007
Yes but that isn't NEW with CBS. It started with Ed Marrow who took on Joe McCarthy, then it was Walter Cronkite, then Dan Rather. Yes CBS does it's job as a Free Press should but it isn't new and "that's the way it is".
Posted by newster1 at 02:17 AM : May 19, 2007
Now even a fascist should understand that a SICK Child can't be PLAYING outside. Maybe you should ship a couple of those Nazi Youth Rally's and start caring about your FELLOW AMERICAN who has been abused by this Corrupt and INCOMPETENT MORON a few and I mean a very FEW still call a President. Carter is right folks this is as bad as it's EVER been in US HISTORY.
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by liteguy
May 20, 2007 4:24 PM PDT
- The formaldehyde has been in use for decades in mobile homes! Where has everyone been..***. This is true. I purchased a nice top of the line double wide, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, and even a hot tub in the master bedroom. When I moved into the trailer I found a warning label stuck to the inside of every cabinet. It said that some material in the construction of this mobile home may contain formaldehyde and cause breathing problems. I was not aware of this until after I bought the home. It just so happened that my wife has asthma. Her asthma was always messed up so we had to get out of the trailer. The hot tub was nice though.
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