Makers Knew Katrina Trailers Were Toxic

WASHINGTON (AP) - A congressional report released today finds
manufacturers knew there were high levels of formaldehyde in the
trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina victims, but sold them to
the government anyway.

The report by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee is at odds with an analysis done by Republican
staffers on the same committee. The Republican report found that
trailer manufacturers should not be held accountable for the high
levels of formaldehyde - a preservative commonly used in building
materials - in trailers that the Federal Emergency Management
Agency set up to house people displaced by Katrina in 2005.
Republicans say it is the government's fault for not having
standards for safe levels of formaldehyde in trailers.

But Democrats say their staff interviewed employees from one of
the manufacturers - Gulf Stream Coach - who said they, too, were
suffering effects from formaldehyde exposure, including nose
bleeds, shortness of breath, dizziness and bleeding ears. One
employee told investigators that there was a foul odor throughout
the plant.

Gulf Stream received the bulk of the FEMA trailer contracts
after Katrina, collecting more than 500 million dollars.

Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said the Democrats'
investigation found that Gulf Stream did test trailers, but treated
the test results as a public relations liability instead of as a
health hazard.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)