Joshua Norman
Biloxi (MS) Sun Herald
February 15, 2008
Biloxi (MS)

It has been more than two and a half years since FEMA travel trailers were first occupied by the thousands on the Gulf Coast, and now no one is willing to say they are completely safe for continued occupation.

In March 2006, the Sierra Club first raised the red flag about unsafe formaldehyde levels in FEMA travel trailers and mobile homes. About eight months ago, the steering committee of a growing "mass action suit" from about 10,000 FEMA trailer and mobile home occupants in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas also sent out warnings after their own tests.

Then the Centers for Disease Control announced that at FEMA's request they would conduct random tests for formaldehyde levels in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The initial test results led government officials to the same conclusions that the steering committee, the Sierra Club and many others came to a while ago.

"About one-third (of the trailers tested had high formaldehyde levels

that) could be expected to cause symptoms in people who were vulnerable," CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding said Thursday, adding that the most susceptible were the elderly, children and people with prior respiratory conditions. Gerberding said the CDC has recommended to FEMA that the trailers be emptied by summertime.

According to an Associated Press report, the tests found average levels of 77 parts formaldehyde per billion parts of air, significantly higher than the 10 to 17 parts per billion concentration seen in newer homes. Levels were as high as 590 parts per billion.

"FEMA first received complaints about health problems and high formaldehyde levels nearly two years ago," said Rep. Gene Taylor, D- Miss. "If FEMA would have taken the complaints seriously from the very beginning, this issue could have been resolved already... They must now act swiftly to find adequate housing for those living in trailers across Mississippi and Louisiana, instead of at the pace they moved when first receiving complaints."

Attorney Tony Buzbee, spokesman for the steering committee for the mass action suit, said the CDC's finding is not only a major boost for the mass lawsuit, but a major turnaround.

"It confirms what we've been saying for over a year, which is that those trailers should not be inhabited," Buzbee said. "(FEMA Administrator David) Paulison has been quoted repeatedly saying there's no evidence saying these trailers are unsafe. They downplayed it. They've never acknowledged that these trailers could be making these people sick until (Thursday.)"

Paulison said FEMA officials are taking the CDC's recommendation seriously, but had no comment Thursday about where to lay blame. He said 800 to 1,000 families have been moving out of trailers each week in Louisiana and Mississippi. About 10,000 travel trailers and mobile homes are still occupied in Mississippi, about 80 percent of which are on private land.

The trailers were never intended for long-term occupancy, said Paulison, adding that the current post-Katrina housing situation has been the major reason the trailers are still occupied.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he acknowledged the difficulty of the housing situation, but thought FEMA should be able to do a decent and fair job moving families into the right situation soon.

FEMA numbers

Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and irritant found in some building materials that is released more rapidly in warmer weather.

CDC officials recommend occupants ventilate trailers to reduce risk.

It is also recommended that smokers stop smoking indoors, as cigarettes already contain formaldehyde.

FEMA officials have set up a toll-free number for travel trailer and mobile home occupants to call with concerns: 866-562-2381.