FEMA Trailer Dwellers Seek Toxin Tests

Source: Associated Press

FEMA Trailer Dwellers Seek Toxin Tests

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer

Saturday, November 17, 2007

(11-17) 12:51 PST New Orleans (AP) --

A group of hurricane victims wants a federal judge
to order air quality tests in their government-issued
trailers after the Federal Emergency Management
Agency postponed its plans to check for hazardous
fumes.

Federal scientists were scheduled to start testing for
levels of formaldehyde in Mississippi trailers Nov. 2,
but FEMA said it needed more time to prepare.

Formaldehyde, a common preservative and embalming
fluid, sometimes is found in building materials
used in manufactured homes. It can cause respiratory
problems and has been classified as a carcinogen by
the International Agency for Research on Cancer and
as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.

Attorneys for trailer occupants in Louisiana claim
FEMA's delay in testing the trailers is jeopardizing
the health of thousands of Gulf Coast residents
displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/17/national/a125123S56.DTL