FEMA’S Potentially Toxic Trailers Headed for Indian Reservations

WASHINGTON DC
Shelley Bluejay Pierce
Shelley Bluejay Pierce
6/28/2007

Sitting on lands in Arkansas and Texas, thousands of vacant FEMA trailers garnered sharp public criticism about government waste. Originally purchased to house people displaced by the hurricane, FEMA officials stated that regulations prohibited placing the homes in flood plains on the Gulf Coast. However, trailers intended to aid the disaster torn region are now making many occupants living in them ill.

Following months of discussions on Capital Hill and bureaucratic red tape blocking the way, approval was finally granted for the trailers to be made available to individual buyers as well as to American Indian tribes desperately in need of housing. Mobile home trailers that were intended to house Hurricane Katrina victims may arrive onto Indian reservations in the next year.

Senator Tim Johnson, Democrat representing South Dakota, pushed through legislation allowing FEMA to sell or donate the trailers, focusing on his home states’ need for housing in reservation communities. The demand for upgraded housing within Indian country has been a problem for decades and according to a 2003 survey, approximately 90,000 Indian families are homeless or are in sub-standard housing.

“I saw pictures of tens of thousands of empty mobile homes sitting unused in Hope, Ark., while South Dakota's Indian tribes were struggling through a tough winter with inadequate housing,'' Johnson had commented in a previous release.

Though the aid in housing on reservations may, at first, seem like a relief to those in need, serious issues may present themselves in the process. In May 2007, a CBS news report revealed a darker side to the assistance these mobile homes were giving to the occupants on the Gulf Coast. Intended to provide emergency housing for displaced hurricane victims, the government states that 86,000 families are still living in FEMA trailers. Further reports indicate that these units were never intended for that duration of use.

These trailers, built with floors and cabinets made of particle board, contain the chemical formaldehyde, which particularly in hot, humid conditions off-gasses toxic fumes that can be dangerous to occupants. Off gassing is a term used to describe the release of chemicals from man-made materials used in the construction processes. Man-made lumber products, such as particle board, are made from wood chips and saw dust, which is then bound together by adhesives, and are a primary source of formaldehyde emissions. Other products that off-gas various chemicals are carpet, paint, wallpaper, and insulation.

Executives at Gulf Stream Coach who built more than 50,000 of these trailers under extreme deadlines issued a public press comment stating, "For the FEMA trailers, it used components and materials that met or exceeded industry standards."

There are no federal standards governing formaldehyde, but the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends a workplace exposure limit of .1 parts per million. The CBS report revealed that the Sierra Club had tested 31 travel trailers in Mississippi last year and discovered that virtually all — 94 percent — had levels of formaldehyde above that limit.

An internal FEMA document, discovered after reports of occupants becoming very ill were made public, revealed that FEMA had stated that cancer was, “a potential job hazard for those just inspecting the trailers.”

FEMA’s official response states that of the 120,000 travel trailers and mobile homes in the gulf, 177 formaldehyde complaints had been received as of May 23, 2007. FEMA has and continues to replace affected units where the applicants have requested a different unit. As of June 15, 2007, FEMA has replaced 57 units.

Removal of these off-gassing substances is attained by two primary factors, time and ventilation. Prolonged ventilation through the living quarters aid in lowering the levels of formaldehyde inside an enclosed living environment. Over time, most home inspection experts state that there is a rapid decrease in the rate of formaldehyde emission over the first year post-construction.

Although FEMA has replaced units for those Hurricane Katrina occupants who are sensitive to the formaldehyde levels present, no details have been released by the federal agency as to their involvement once surplus trailers are purchased by the public or tribal and state agencies.

According to studies conducted at Ball University, findings showed that the release of most of the formaldehyde might occur in approximately 6 months depending on the construction materials used. After most of the volatile formaldehyde is released, indoor levels may only be a fraction of those when the products were new and tests showing a 50 percent decline are common. Understanding that formaldehyde levels may vary depending upon climate, experts recommend understanding the processes required to aid in reducing formaldehyde inside homes and trailers.

"I can not speak to testing individual trailers but we do know the surplus 2000 mobile homes are new, unused, 3 bedroom units and meet all new mobile home specifications. In the past, it was the travel trailers FEMA has distributed, not the mobile homes declared surplus, that were the housing units with formaldehyde issues," said spokesperson for Senator Tim Johnson's office.