Toxic Trailers: ALS\Lou Gehrig's disease linked to formaldehyde

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ToxicTrailers.com is dedicated to providing information about formaldehyde poisoning. FEMA and the CDC have now admitted that levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers are so high that residents should be moved out quickly. CDC testing revealed unacceptably high formaldehyde levels in all brands of RVs, mobile homes, and park homes. To read which trailers brands tested the highest, go to the Website http://cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/trailerstudy/. The problem is not confined to RVs and mobile homes, but also can be a significant health threat in regular homes, offices and portable classrooms. If you think you are having problems with formaldehyde, send an e-mail to stories@toxictrailers.com.

Friday, April 18, 2008

ALS\Lou Gehrig's disease linked to formaldehyde

See the toxic trailer news link on the right for article showing that exposure to chemical formaldehyde has been linked to much higher risks of getting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. This was a "surprise." But to the people who have struggled to breathe in FEMA trailers high in formaldehyde, experiencing problems like frequent bloody noses, this news won't be shocking.

This was posted as a blog to Medpage Today by Cohn Charles, Ph.D.
With regard to formaldehyde exposure, be aware that most of the chemicals used in chemical toilets (portable toilets as well as RV and boat toilets) contain formaldehyde. There are toilet chemicals available that don't contain formaldehyde, but you have to look for them. Read the labels carefully when you buy these chemicals. I have also noticed that the free bottles of chemical that come with new toilets usually contain formaldehyde.

Warning: RVS and mobile homes may be hazardous to your health!!

Imagine that you have just lost your home in a natural disaster, and are now waiting to get a FEMA trailer for temporary housing. The fact is, you and your family might be better off in a tent or living with friends and relatives, even if it is crowded.

After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA purchased about 102,000 travel trailers at a cost of $2.6 billion to house the victims of the nation’s largest natural disaster. It turns out that the vast majority of these trailers have excessive levels of formaldehyde. See the results of testing done by the CDC that were announced Feb. 29, 2008 at the website http://cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/trailerstudy/ or just Google CDC formaldehyde FEMA study. This website also has links to information for residents and health care practitioners.

From the very beginning people who received FEMA trailers after Katrina reported experiencing problems such as irritated eyes, breathing problems, bloody noses, headaches, nausea, frequent respiratory infections and skin rashes. We know one family that moved from the FEMA trailer into a storage shed on their property because their daughter threw up every time she spent any time in the trailer. Another man sleeping in his driveway next to his trailer said, “My FEMA trailer is killing me!” One couple experienced such heavy chest congestion combined with nose bleeds that they abandoned their FEMA trailer to sleep in their truck.

The CDC testing confirmed three earlier rounds of testing done by Sierra Club in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama in 2006 and 2007 with test kits from Advanced Chemical Sensors. Out of 69 tests, 61 were over 0.1 ppm which represents 88 percent of the trailers tested. The tests used 0.1 ppm as the concentration above which health impacts are expected. However, much lower levels are recommended for long-term exposure. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) Minimal Risk Levels are 0.04 ppm for 1-14 days, 0.03 for 14-364 days and 0.008 ppm for 365 or more days exposure. The lowest of the 69 Sierra Club tests was 0.04. The highest test was 0.39.

As you will see by reading the blogs on this page, the formaldehyde problem is not confined to just RVs and mobile homes purchased by FEMA. Manufacturers state that they didn't do anything differently for RVs and mobile homes sold to FEMA than those sold to the general public. People across the country are reporting formaldehyde problems in not just campers and manufactured housing, but regular homes, offices, churches and schools.

For an in-depth look at this issue including how FEMA and the ATSDR tried to coverup the problem rather than respond to a major public health disaster, see the hearing transcript from the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1413.

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Friday, April 18, 2008

ALS\Lou Gehrig's disease linked to formaldehyde

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Warning: RVS and mobile homes may be hazardous to your health!!