Fume and Far Between
FEMA prohibits employees from entering toxic trailers
Posted at 11:54 AM on 09 Nov 2007
Concerned about formaldehyde fumes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has prohibited its employees from entering thousands of stored trailers. And the hurricane victims living in some 50,000 trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi? Well, FEMA hasn't gotten around to seeing if those trailers are toxic yet -- last week, the agency postponed plans to begin testing -- but eh, they'll be fine. FEMA says it's especially concerned with uninhabited trailers sitting unventilated in the sun. Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) is unconvinced: "I don't really buy that argument. It makes no sense, in that most of these (occupied) trailers are closed up and locked during the day." She adds, "This double standard is wholly unacceptable." But not unexpected.sources: The Washington Post, Associated Press
see also, in Grist: Congress grills FEMA on toxic post-hurricane trailers
see also, in Grist: With the Katrina-anniversary media gone, the hard work continues
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