House Panel Probes Toxic FEMA Trailers

(CBS/AP)  Lawyers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency discouraged officials from pursuing reports of dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers housing thousands of hurricane victims, according to documents subpoenaed by House members and released Thursday.

Lawmakers called the actions sickening and infuriating at a hearing that included dramatic testimony from three trailer occupants whose families suspect formaldehyde is to blame for their various illnesses.

In May, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian broke the story of the nearly 86,000 families with rising health problems still living in FEMA trailers across the Gulf.

Both Democrats and Republicans bitterly criticized FEMA's decisions to conduct limited inspections or tests of trailers whose occupants reported various respiratory problems. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed FEMA records showing that agency lawyers warned officials there could be liability problems if formaldehyde tests suggested negligence on the government's part.

The committee's outrage was widespread, backed by internal FEMA emails and memos that only came to light within the last few days. Documents revealed that FEMA officials and attorneys "consistently rejected" repeated calls for testing from its own field staff because they would "imply FEMA's ownership of the issue," reported Keteyian.

"It's sickening and the exact opposite of what government should be," said committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. "It is impossible to read the FEMA documents and not be infuriated."

FEMA administrator R. David Paulson apologized to the trailer occupants.

"This agency made the best decisions it could with the information it had," Paulson testified. "Now we know we have to do something different than we've done in the past."

CBS News has learned that health concerns in FEMA trailers could reach well beyond serious respiratory problems; several deaths may linked to toxic levels of formaldehyde gas, reports Keteyian.

Earl Shorty, a resident of Louisiana, moved into a FEMA travel trailer in one compound with his wife, Desiree, about a year ago.

"Within four months after we moved in here, she just started coughing and she would get weak," Shorty told Keteyian.

Earl says his wife didn't smoke and that every time she left the trailer the coughing would stop. Eventually, she became too weak to go out. On July 2, she took her last breath at a local hospital.

"She was just looking at me and she said, 'Babe, I'm scared,'" said Shorty. "That's the last thing I remember her telling me, that she was scared."

Formaldehyde, sometimes found in building materials used in manufactured homes, can cause respiratory problems and possibly cancer in high doses. FEMA provided more than 120,000 trailers to victims of the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and many thousands of people still occupy them, especially in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Formaldehyde is used in a number of materials in the trailers, including the particleboard used to make walls and cabinets.

When complaints of possible formaldehyde poisoning surfaced in early 2006, FEMA officials tested one occupied trailer and announced "there is no ongoing risk" for trailer users. But documents show the levels of formaldehyde found were higher than those considered safe by several government health and environment agencies.

The committee unearthed documents in which one FEMA lawyer advised: "Do not initiate any testing until we give the OK. ... Once you get results ... the clock is running on our duty to respond to them."

When they finally, under pressure, tested some trailers for formaldehyde levels, they instructed the owners to keep all doors and windows open and keep air conditioners running around the clock for several days before the tests — which still came out high, reports Fuss.

Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, and the fumes can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and skin.

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FEMA Trailers And Formaldehyde
Residents Getting Sick?
Documents Found
Fumes Felt In Indiana

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Lindsay Huckabee of Kiln, Miss., said she, her five children and her husband all have experienced symptoms of formaldehyde exposure.

"I began to having migraine headaches and pre-term labor," Huckabee told the panel. "My daughter, who had been asthma-free for about a year, began having asthma attacks. Three of my children began having nosebleeds several times a week."

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[fanjorg]

I am appalled. This is our government at its worst. Formaldehyde isn't the issue here, the COVER-UP is! Administrator Paulison needs to be fired asap. Mike "Brownie" Brown was inept, but Paulison is a liar. He admitted knowing about this problem for over a year -- since March of 2006 -- but chose to bury the issue in favor of positioning the agency in a stronger position for any upcoming litigation. Are you kidding me?? He intentially hid this info from reporters, Congress and the American Public. He should be ashamed and Secretary Chertoff should ask for his resignation immediately. How can Administrator Paulison be kept in charge of an agnency whose sole purpose is to tend to the needs of disaster victims when he has clearly demonstrated that he has no regard for the health, safety and well-being of those very victims. Paulison and his cronies need to go, asap. I am sickened and saddened by this report.

[grammawhamma]

Huckabee lives in a FEMA trailer with her husband and 5 kids and complained it caused her to go into pre-term labor. Why was this woman pregnant again if she can't afford to move out of a FEMA trailer? I just don't get understand how some people think...maybe the Pope will build them a house to fit all those kids into.

[rick13571]

J. Whitman is correct.

Why is the presence of formaldehyde in mobile homes any surprise?

In Biotherapy, volume 11, pages 205-220, published in June of 1998, Bruce Ames and Lois Gold published an article titled, %u201CThe Causes and Prevention of Cancer: The Role of Environment.%u201D

Here Ames and Gold point out that there is measurable exposure to formaldehyde in a conventional home (14 hr exposure/day) 598 micrograms; a mobile home (14 hr exposure/day) 2.2 milligrams; and by formaldehyde workers 6.1 milligrams.

[octavianfdlr]

What has this article to do with science?

[candy-apple]

First of all, these trailers were not meant to be a PERMANENT residence. I live north of New Orleans and am so tired of hearing these people whine about not having a place to live. I say get up off of your butts, get a job and start putting your life back together. Most of the people who are complaining didn't own homes to begin with, they rented. There are places available in the area that they can rent and live in, oh wait that might cost them money. Iknow lots of people who lost everything they own but they are not sitting around waiting for a hand out, they are doing what they need to do to get their lives back together. WAKE UP PEOPLE, take care of yourselves for a change and quit waiting on everyone else to take care of you. GROW UP, you're supposed to be adults, act like it. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for yourselves for a change.

[afmca]

I guarentee that a quick study of the political affiliation of FEMA trailer residents would prove most to be Democratic leaning. Thus the most politicized administration in history would have had no issue with minimizing the health dangers to people who would not vote the right way. Sad, but a true commentary on the Bush/Cheney/Rove White House.

[j-whitman]

Our government thinks giving them to our Native American Indian population is a good idea ---- Creating another Indian massacre, the slow way

[msfixit2day]

I'd like to suggest that CBS not limit their reporting. This is not only about the 86,000 Katrina victims having health issues and travel trailers. It is also NOT a Femma issue! This issue is so much bigger than that. This is an industry issue and that industry MANUFACTURES travel trailers, single wide and double wide trailers and their use of formaldehyde the toxic agent in those travel trailers. I suggest to you that untold millions of people living in this type of housing have been victims of formaldehyde and this industry and Femma had nothing to do with it. I'll just bet they didn't wake up one morning and say "you know what I think we will use formaldehyde in those Femma trailers casue it's just Katrina and Gulf coast victims it wont matter" no it is used across the board! One word RESEARCH! Although the Government should have guidelines regulating the usage of this toxic agent. This is the only affordable housing for millions upon millions of American families born and bread in the USA. Katie lets not make this about Femma lets set aside your and CBS desire for better ratings and if you dare to be the reporter you calim to be. Go after the industry and you my dear will find a long list of deep pockets politically and leave Femma alone for 5 minutes. I must clarify I'm neither for or against Femma I'm just tired of the same old song and dance, when we need to stir the pot to get a story let's find the whippin post. continued

[msfixit2day]

continued,

If you really want to help then do it!! You have the power you are in a postion to do so. You might make some enemies along the way but if you save one life from the harmful and deadly effects of formaldehyde wont it be the same as your early detection for colon cancer message? Cancer is cancer Katie it is just caused by a meriad of things. Step up put your gloves on and your boots and get going!!!

[ov442]

so they purposely took actions that clearly showed that they not only knew there was a problem, but knew the extent of it and tried to cover it up, while doing nothing to either remedy it or get the people out and instead allowed them to sit there and go from being average health group of americans to a large group with permanent health issues, medical costs, and in one or more cases a lost loved one. How do you, as a scheming FEMA lawyer or manager, replace a man's wife?