The Katrina chronicles: Formaldehyde-laced trailers set to claim another set of victims

By Environmental Defense on 03/14/2010 – 9:19 pm PDT -- Green

.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was petitioned under TSCA to regulate this use of formaldehyde. It denied the petition, citing its insufficient legal authority under TSCA and saying that further study is needed. 

Meanwhile, the tainted trailers live on and are now slated to expose yet another group of unwitting victims as they descend to the next sad stage in their lifecycle.

Ironically, unique among all federal environmental laws, TSCA is supposed to give EPA the ability to reduce risk along the entire lifecycle of a chemical, from its production and distribution, through its use and all the way to disposal of products containing it. But TSCA made actually exercising any of that authority dependent on EPA proving a chemical presents an “unreasonable risk,” something it was unable to do even for asbestos back in 1991, and which it has never tried again.

It’s long past time we had a federal law that gives EPA the power to protect Americans from dangerous chemicals already on the market – and to prevent future repeats of episodes like the FEMA trailer debacle. That will only happen when producers are compelled to prove their chemicals are safe as a condition for entering or remaining in commerce.

I urge you to join the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign in pressing for real reform of TSCA that will serve the next generation of Americans far better than it did the last. And tell your members of Congress to do the same.

image image image image image

image

Pages: 1 2

  • rich

    The issue of formaldehyde is much larger than the infamous FEMA trailers. Look at the conclusion in a report published by the California Air Resources Board on December 15, 2009.

    “Nearly all homes (98%) had formaldehyde concentrations that exceeded guidelines for cancer and chronic irritation…”

    At the same time we claim we don’t understand why childhood cancer and asthma are increasing so rapidly that it has to be an environmental exposure issue.

    The typical infamous FEMA trailer had 77 ppb of formaldehyde in room air. My home had 93 ppb of formaldehdye. Turned out the source was the underlayment under the carpet installed during the original construction of the home back in 1963.

    Take a look at the cover article of the February 2010 Synergist, a peer review magazine. It discusses the indoor air quality of homes and documents that formaldehyde concentrations in energy efficient homes is significantly higher. Isn’t the entire focus for the past decade been on energy efficiency? How often have you heard indoor air quality being discussed?

    Not long ago the typical conventional home had only 14 ppb. For energy efficent conventionally built homes build in 2009 you can multiple that concentration by about ten.

    It would be nice if the US had the simplistic requirement that a chemical had to be proven to be safe prior to use. Currently, the US allows chemicals to be used until they are proven unsafe.

    Consumers need to educate and protect themselves as big brother is NOT doing it. Formaldehyde testing is simple and inexpensive at $39. That might be the lowest health insurance premium you ever pay.

blog comments powered by Disqus