Friday, November 02, 2007

 

WHY IS THIS NOT A SURPRISE?

RV Business
Friday, November 2, 2007

Plans to begin testing the air quality of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers that house thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi were postponed Thursday (Nov. 2) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Jackson Clarion Ledger reported that many trailer and mobile home residents have complained of health issues that allegedky result from high levels of formaldehyde in the units.

The CDC planned to begin testing the air quality of about 150 travel trailers and mobile homes in the state today. But CDC spokesman Charles Green said plans to randomly test the units have been postponed for "a short while," probably about two weeks. He did not give a reason for the delay.

Green said the CDC would try to test all makes and models. The agency began calling hurricane victims in Mississippi this week to get permission for the testing, he said.

After the Mississippi testing is completed, the agency plans to test about 150 trailers in Louisiana.

Green said CDC statisticians told him randomly testing 300 trailers would be enough to help the agency determine if any of the thousands of trailers that have housed hurricane victims pose health threats.

The CDC testing is coming almost four months after FEMA asked the Atlanta-based agency to test the trailers. SRA-Constella Inc. of Fairfax, Va., will conduct the tests. Some of the thousands of Katrina victims who still live in the units say the testing plans are inadequate and come too late.

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