FEMA suppressed health warnings
Katrina victims tell a House committee that formaldehyde in their trailers made
them sick. Documents show testing was discouraged.
By Claudia Lauer, Times Staff Writer
July 20, 2007
WASHINGTON — Top officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency knew about
reports of possible health problems from formaldehyde in trailers provided to
Hurricane Katrina victims, according to documents released Thursday by a House
committee.
The warnings from Gulf Coast field workers were brushed aside because "senior
FEMA officials in Washington … didn't want the moral and legal responsibility to
do what they knew had to be done," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles),
chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, as he opened a
hearing into the agency's response.
Documents from the agency's general counsel advised FEMA officials against
agreeing to testing because of the fear of liability for health problems among
the 120,000 families who were temporarily housed in the trailers.
"Do not initiate any testing until we give the OK," one FEMA attorney wrote on
June 15, 2006, three months after the first news reports appeared about possible
formaldehyde-related problems. "Once you get results and should they indicate
some problem, the clock is running on our duty to respond to them."
Waxman's frustration with FEMA was shared by the committee's top Republican,
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, who said that the agency "failed to get
information they needed and failed to act to prevent this crisis."
"FEMA's reaction to the problem was deliberately stunted to bolster the agency's
litigation position," he said.
Davis said FEMA officials had acted to obstruct an almost yearlong investigation
into the allegations by incorrectly invoking attorney-client privilege on most
of the 5,000 pages of documents released Thursday. But the agency's director, R.
David Paulison, denied taking a cue from legal counsel when setting agency
policy.
"The general counsel does not set policy for this organization," said Paulison,
who joined FEMA as acting director in September 2005 and was confirmed as its
chief eight months later. "The health and safety of residents is my primary
concern."
He would not confirm that formaldehyde had contributed to any illnesses, and
said that FEMA trailers would soon be tested for mold, airborne bacteria and
more, including formaldehyde. The tests, announced Wednesday, will be conducted
in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Formaldehyde is a common component of glues, molded plastics and building
materials, including particleboard used in manufactured homes. Symptoms of
long-term exposure can include respiratory problems, burning eyes or nose,
headaches and bloody noses. The International Agency for Research on Cancer
identifies the chemical as a carcinogen in humans.
Committee members argued that FEMA had ample opportunity to test the trailers
after about 200 residents lodged complaints referring specifically to
formaldehyde. Agency documents showed that only one inhabited trailer was
tested, in April 2006. Its formaldehyde level was measured at 1.2 parts per
million, 75 times higher than the maximum workplace exposure level set by the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
FEMA subsequently tested 96 new trailers last fall, but under what Waxman called
dubious conditions — their ventilation systems and air conditioners were
constantly running and the windows were left open for three weeks before final
readings were taken. Asking individuals to live like that, Waxman noted, was not
realistic.
"We recognize that in the summertime on the Gulf Coast, that's not going to be
reasonable," said Paulison, adding that the test conditions were set with advice
from other agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Paul Stewart, a former Army officer and one of three trailer residents who
testified that they had experienced formaldehyde-related illnesses, said he
asked FEMA to test his trailer after the family's pet cockatiel became ill. When
nothing was done after several months, he obtained a test kit from a nonprofit
group. He called FEMA with the results, which he said were twice the workplace
safety standard.
FEMA replaced that trailer with one that was dirty, said Stewart. "They told us
it was brand-new," he said. "When I lifted the sheets on the bed, there were
bugs crawling around in it."
Stewart ended up purchasing his own mobile home. He also began helping the
Sierra Club test other FEMA trailers, with 30 of 32 testing above the workplace
standard.
"We have lost a great deal through our dealings with FEMA, not the least of
which is our faith in government," he said.
One committee member, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), told of an experience
as a member of the California state Senate. She said formaldehyde in the carpet
glue of her Sacramento office made her violently ill and she had to move.
"My face was swollen. I had stomach cramps," she said.
Watson pushed Paulison to agree not to sell or pass the trailers on to other
users if they contained formaldehyde. Paulison said that as long as the level of
the chemical was determined to be safe, he didn't see a problem.
"All travel trailers made in America have formaldehyde in them. We'll at least
post something in these trailers to make sure people know they're not for
long-term living," he said.
Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), whose district produces a majority of the country's
trailers, chastised those who testified, saying they were jumping to conclusions
in blaming an entire industry.
"A sweeping statement doesn't cut it; there needs to be actual checking and
measurement," said Souder.
Committee members demanded that Paulison notify the almost 60,000 residents
living in FEMA trailers of a potential risk of formaldehyde exposure.
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