Surprised? I didn’t think so. At this point, there’s nothing left to shock when it comes to the handling of post-Katrina matters involving BushCo and FEMA.
[D]ocuments obtained by Salon show that FEMA also pressured scientists to water down a report on the health risks of formaldehyde. FEMA officials instructed the scientists to omit any references to cancer or other long-term health risks from exposure to formaldehyde in FEMA trailers.I guess protecting the fetus under Bush doesn’t extend to government agencies like FEMA.In a scathing letter sent today to Dr. Howard Frumkin, chief of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Reps. Brad Miller, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, and Nick Lampson, chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, wrote, “you appear to have been complicit in giving FEMA precisely what they wanted … However what FEMA wanted and what you approved giving them was not the whole truth regarding formaldehyde. It was not based on ‘best science,’ nor did it provide ‘trusted health information’ to the Katrina survivors.” FEMA and ATSDR officials are expected to testify Tuesday before the House Committee on Homeland Security, which is also investigating the matter.
After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA placed tens of thousands of displaced families in travel trailers, more than 40,000 of which are still in use. Almost immediately, hundreds of families called FEMA to complain of illnesses, from breathing difficulties, bloody noses and rashes to more serious problems, and even deaths, possibly connected to high levels of formaldehyde gas permeating the trailers. Formaldehyde is a nearly colorless gas with a pungent, irritating odor even at low levels. It is used in many products and manufacturing procedures, notably as an adhesive in plywood used to make trailers. Health reports reveal that exposure to formaldehyde can impact fertility and the developing fetus, leading to spontaneous abortion or physical malformations.
Seriously, there has been little public discussion in this election cycle about what kind of plans each candidate has for the overhaul/revitalization, quality control of FEMA. The next president will inherit a bureaucracy that has been crippled and rife with incompetence. A complete house cleaning is necessary.
17 Responses to “Salon: FEMA covered up cancer risk in its toxic Katrina trailers”
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http://www.nativevillage.org/Editorials/toxic_trailers_and_smallpox_blan.htm
It’s FAR worse with these trailers than in your post, Pam.
Yeah, at what point do we decide they’re doing this shit on purpose?
I decided that about 5 years ago Banisteriopsis, and I think Naomi Klein makes a solid case for it in The Shock Doctrine.
“Yeah, at what point do we decide they’re doing this shit on purpose?”
Some of us already figured it was all on purpose by January 21, 2001.
But back then you were considered “paranoid”, “delusional”, or had “Bush Derangement Syndrome” if you questioned Cheney/Bush’s sincerity on anything. It was beyond the pale to question anything Cheney/Bush did.
So I guess nothing much has changed over the last 7-years - except there’s just a lot more evidence of bad faith to ignore and pretend it doesn’t exist…
God. How wretched. Makes me hope there IS a hell. Glad Nick Lampson (used to be my Rep when I lived in Galveston) is doing the right thing, but jesus, too little, too late.
What I would like to know: Aren’t these just commercially available trailers? Meaning thousands of other people are being exposed to similar toxics all over this country. What about modular classrooms? Are they built with the same materials and the same techniques?
One rule of thum that we all need to employ is
You never ever trust the government for anything.
Dissenformation goes both ways
Aren’t these just commercially available trailers?
As you might imagine, the “bidding” on the contracts to provide and maintain the trailers wasn’t exactly Kosher under BushCo’s FEMA.
http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2006/07/are_fema_traile.html
Hector, here’s an article that might explain the “how did this happen?” factor- a combination of rushing the building process for such a huge order, and the heat/ humidity factors.
Other than that, I don’t know- I have a retired uncle who routinely spends 3-4 months of every year living in one of these sorts of RV trailers in a gated community in southern Florida. Certainly there is alot of heat and humidity there. So maybe it’s more of the rushing to manufacture, what, 60+k of these trailers?- rather than the weather.
But to know there was a potential health risk, then to try to sell them at a discount rate (another story I found on MSNBC) and failing at that, using them as in the first story I linked to in earlier post, is reprehensible.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17509045/
Okay; here’s the other story I found… they had 60k left over of the 145k ordered.
*deadpan* I thought they were pro-life?
This cover up has been going on since last summer, at least. In December I wrote about how FEMA wouldn’t let its officials into the trailers because of formaldehyde levels even as they continued to drag their feet on inspections, relocating people, etc.
http://www.grahamad.com/blog/2007/11/08/heckuva-job/
And here’s a post from July 2007 about this:
http://www.grahamad.com/blog/2007/07/20/welcome-to-america/
OMG, well done Redstar- I’m sitting here so pissed I could SPIT. Thanks (?) for that…
I aim to anger!! Especially when it comes to this Administration’s f***ing callous response to the Gulf Coast, to say the least…
After digesting all the cited information, it sounds to me that this is not just a “Katrina victim” issue, but could affect anyone who spends or plans to spend a significant amount of time in a travel trailer or RV. Katrina victims thus may obtain allies by enlisting the self-interest of middle class mommies and daddies to focus more attention on toxic trailers. Till now, the assumption was that exposure to toxics would be low because no one would spend more than a few weeks and weekends. Katrina victims have
Complacent middle Americans who are also at risk, need to be sensitized to the dangers of formaldehyde. Although the FEMA trailers could have been hurriedly built, they apparently were built by established manufacturers. More worryingly for the middle class, they have entered the used RV market. From the second msnbc article Louise linked to:
To dispose of the used trailers, FEMA is operating an auction through a government Web site. Wednesday evening, the agency had 47 trailers on sale from its Hope depot. Bids ranged from $5,191 for a 2006 Coachmen Spirit of America trailer with possible water damage and a missing stove grate, battery and other items, to $12,600 for a 2006 Sunnybrook RV Sunset Creek trailer with “no obvious exterior damage.”
A friend of mine works for an air filter manufacturer.
When they heard about this, they offered to send a free air filter to each trailer.
FEMA never got back to them.