PlusDoctors: FEMA Trailer Kids May Have Health WoesDoctors: FEMA Trailer Kids May Have Health WoesThe Associated PressDoctors fear tens of thousands of people, especially children, who lived in FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina could have lifelong health problems due to high levels of formaldehyde. (May 27)[Notes:VO-FILE OF TRAILERS] MORE THAN 22 THOUSAND FEMA TRAILERS AND MOBILE HOMES THAT WERE MADE AVAILABLE FOLLOWING HURRICANE KATRINA ARE STILL BEING USED ALONG THE GULF COAST [Notes:VO--SHOT OF CHILD OTHER RESIDENTS]AND NOW DOCTORS WORRY THAT MANY RESIDENTS --ESPECIALLY CHILDREN -- MAY FACE LIFELONG HEALTH PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS OF FORMALDAHYDE IN THE GOVERNMENT SUPPLIED HOUSING. [Notes:VO--SHOT OF CHERYL D'AVY] LISTEN TO WHAT ONE RESIDENT SAID NEARLY A YEAR AGO. [Notes:SOT --CHERYL D'AVY /TRAILER OCCUPANT]Continually had to have medications...for antibiotics...cough congestions....they just have not been able to clear this....and I continue to suffer an inability to breathe..... [Notes:VO--SHOT OF HOUSE HEARING] LAST SUMMER -- WORRIED LAWMAKERS QUIZZED FEMA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. [Notes:SOT--DAVID PAULISON/LAST JULY]We recognize now...we have an issue we are dealing with it in the best manner we can. [Notes:VO--FILE OF TRAILERS] FEMA AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE MATTER, BUT THEIR REPORTS HAVE DRAWN CRITICISM. NOW THE TWO AGENCIES SAY THEY'LL CREATE A REGISTRY OF PEOPLE WHO STAYED IN THE TRAILERS TO AID IN FUTURE STUDIES. [Notes:VO--FILE OF TRAILERS]FEMA AND THE C-D-C SPEARHEADED A PUSH TO GET RESIDENTS OUT OF THESE TRAILERS, BUT IT ONLY BEGAN LAST FEBRUARY. AND THEY ADMIT THE TASK OF KEEPING TRACK OF EVERYONE IS MADE DIFFICULT BY THE RUSH TO GET FAMILIES INTO OTHER HOUSING. ___ ___, The Associated Press.
Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
What is Formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is an important industrial chemical used to make other chemicals, building materials, and household products. It is one of the large family of chemical compounds called volatile organic compounds or 'VOCs'. The term volatile means that the compounds vaporize, that is, become a gas, at normal room temperatures.
What are the short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure?
When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience health effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations of the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, while others have no reaction to the same level of exposure.
Can formaldehyde cause cancer?
Although the short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure are well known, less is known about its potential long-term health effects. In 1980, laboratory studies showed that exposure to formaldehyde could cause nasal cancer in rats. This finding raised the question of whether formaldehyde exposure could also cause cancer in humans. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure (1). Since that time, some studies of industrial workers have suggested that formaldehyde exposure is associated with nasal cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer, and possibly with leukemia. In 1995, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen. However, in a reevaluation of existing data in June 2004, the IARC reclassified formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen (2).
