FEMA statement on formaldehyde- Roaming Times

FEMA statement on formaldehyde- Roaming Times

Roaming Times - RV, motorhome, fifth wheel, travel trailer, RVing

FEMA STATEMENT ON FORMALDEHYDE

Release Date: July 9, 2008

The following statement, released by FEMA, outlines the background to the production of the FEMA travel trailers, the problems and the "strict new procurement specifications":

FEMA acquired travel trailer, mobile homes and park models from a variety of retail and commercial sources in good faith and fully expected all units to comply with all relevant industry standards, best practices and regulations. FEMA neither knowingly, nor willingly, purchased manufactured units from dealerships and manufacturers that contained levels of formaldehyde above existing construction standards, nor did FEMA's specifications encourage non-compliance with such standards. We have been fully transparent in our actions on this issue.

On July 21, 2007, FEMA set up call centers for applicants living on group, commercial and private sites who have concerns, questions or request information about formaldehyde. In July, FEMA distributed 70,000 formaldehyde and housing fact sheets to the occupants of every FEMA temporary housing unit across the Gulf Coast. FEMA ceased the sale and deployment of travel trailers for use in housing operations. On August 22, 2007, FEMA authorized hotel/motel assistance for occupants of FEMA provided travel trailers and mobile homes who ask to be moved because of health concerns associated with their units.

Everyone who has called FEMA's formaldehyde call centers with concerns has been offered an immediate move to a hotel or motel until alternate housing is located.

Following the CDC's findings, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Health Affairs developed procedures to ensure the consistent and reliable testing of temporary housing units in FEMA's existing inventory. The same protocol is used for all air quality testing, no matter where it takes place, whether at storage sites, staging areas, forward staging areas or on private property. Additionally, FEMA has contracted with a center within CDC to study mitigation strategies on our behalf.

Since 2007, FEMA has been working with the Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Health Affairs (DHS/OHA) to develop a new set of procurement specifications for manufactured housing. This year, FEMA announced that all future temporary housing units purchased by FEMA must meet strict new procurement specifications for indoor air quality, including a requirement that formaldehyde emission levels must be significantly reduced inside the units. Each unit must test below .016 parts per million (ppm).

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

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READERS' COMMENTS

(Latest comments first)

What do you think? - add your comments here

author	comments
Amy Wilken	I think that airing the trailers out and ozone treatment are good but really the manufacturers are responsible for the materials they use and if they use the latest materials there shouldn't be a need to air the trailers out.
Jim Kraeger	I agree ozone is the way to deal with these trailers. I don't know why they don't use it on new trailers also.
Jean Watkins	I feel that neither FEMA nor the trailer manufacturers are to blame for this occurrence. The weather in New Orleans being so hot and humid would be a great contributing factor. The normal use of such a trailer would allow for the moving about use and continual in and out of the trailer thereby allowing fresh air into the unit. Extreme conditions as found after the hurricane have been a great detriment to the use of trailers. Let's ease up on a situation where the government did what they thought was the best they could do on short notice. Just be thankful for some help.
Mary Mason	The RV manufacturing companies didn't worry about this when they sold those trailers to the government at a hefty price. I hope this has helped to set new standards. Can we really buy a new trailer without worrying about formaldehyde? I think the chances are better but we should all be concerned about the smell and if it has been properly aired out.
LOU	HI USE OZONE MACHINE TO KILL EVERYTHING I MEAN ALL THE BAD AND SMELLY STUFF . THAN KEEP IT GOING ON LOW TO KEEP SWEET RAIN SMELL HAVE A GREAT DAY.. ECOQUEST IS THE NAME HAD ONE FOR 9 YEARS.
Al H.	Some of the wholesale RV auctions have had a few FEMA units recently. Remember these are not really RV's. Most I have seen are very basic, few windows, not in great shape. But the major consideration is no holding tanks. Direct waste flow to sewer or septic, no fresh water tank. Toilet is standard house type. This is not something you can tow to your friendly campground and hook up for a weekend.
Dave1262	Just open the doors and windows and let the unit air out. The toxins will quickly disappate. Once again the press has blown this out of proportion as they have the whole process from day one and it ends up costing the taxpayers money that they don't need to pay. All trailers have this problem - the FEMA trailers may have a little more concentrated amounts of it but they are no different than a regualar standard trailer. I have tested mine and there are no abnormal readings in it.