FEMA Trailer Evacuations - What's in your AS?

[urbanfood]

many homes have lots of formaldehyde too, they just leak a little better.

the problem occurs when newer homes that are built tighter don't allow the off gassing (formaldehyde) from carpets, cabinetry, subfloors, glues, adhesives, etc to leak out of doors and windows as easily.

solution to the formaldehyde issue for homeowners;

1. buy cabinets that are formaldehyde free (will be more common in the near future)
2. don't use carpet in the house for a variety of reasons (offgassing, traps every kind of dirt and dander. there's a reason why old carpet weighs 3x more than new carpet).
3. use construction glues and adhesives that are low or no VOC.
4. use paint that is no VOC.

california is working on a standard to regulate the amounts of formaldehyde allowed in products, it's due out in 2010 or thereabouts.

indoor air quality is something that needs to be taken more seriously by people nowadays because more crap is put in products and houses are built tighter. the few suggestions i listed above is a start. also, incorporating a fresh air ventilation system into your house system is a big plus too (most houses that have heat or ac have a closed loop system which basically means it's recirculating the air within the house and i can bet you that if you live in smoggy los angeles, the outdoor air is going to be cleaner than what's in your house because of all the aerosols, cleaning compounds, offgassing of materials for years, etc that are contained within your home.

[lewster]

Initially, FEMA went out to all of the RV dealers in the areas surrounding the disaster and bought regular RV trailers right from the dealers' lot....paying close to MSRP in the process. Dealers had a field day with that huge injection of sales from FEMA.

While they were doing this, they (FEMA) designed the ELU (emergency living unit) and took the plans to most of the large RV manufacturers. The OEMs essentially stopped production of their regular lines of trailers and built these ELUs for FEMA as fast as they could. These are the plain white boxes that have few windows, one air conditioner, no tanks, etc. They were built AS DESIGNED AND CONTRACTED FOR FEMA!!!!!!!!!!!

I had several buddies that worked setting these up in the Gulf states and then serviced them after. They were designed to be plumbed to a water line and connected to a septic system with a household style toilet in them. THEY WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE RVs!!!! AND THEY ARE NOT!!!!

I won't get into the formaldehyde issue, just thought that the record needed to be set straight from an RV professional's vantage point.

[RedSHED]

Originally Posted by bredlo

...
The question for me is solely about whether or not manufacturers of SOB's and Airstreams are knowingly using materials that are harmful to their inhabitants. If so, put a simple warning label on it. (Cigarettes and booze have 'em, and their side effects are arguably much easier to discern as harmful.)

Like this:
Warning! This trailer was not designed to be lived in year round. The concentration of gasses and toxins in the materials used in its manufacture can be harmful to respiratory systems if you spend more than 8 weekends a year inside our product.

I wonder if the warning labels themselves cause outgassing. That could be part of the problem. We need a label about the labels

the warning labels on this product (including this label) are known to cause various forms of respiratory issues as well as anxiety attacks. Furthermore, the physical space devoted to warning labels precludes the inclusion of really useful information.


My commute during the year of Katrina paralleled an interstate for a couple miles. Every day as I rode home, I'd see a steady stream of plain white trailers heading south. It was kind of impressive, really.

[overlander63]

Thanks, Lew. It's also good to know that the problem is not being leveraged to manipulate voters' feelings, at least not primarily.

[at_wanderer]

If you read my earlier post on this thread you will see that I intended to post a link for this site and forgot to put up the link.
Then they send me this article today. I haven't even read it through, yet, but thought it might help some to understand the issue of formaldehyde in enclosed spaces a bit better.

GREENGUARD

GREENGUARD

[ROBERT CROSS]

Talk about outgas'n.

Now this little guy can outgas ya rite out da dore. In a N.Y. minuit....

[safari57]

Hey Robert - same goes for our cat - after a bit of tuna. Ewwwww.

DW says the same about me but I don't believe her.

At an RV show a few years ago a friend walked into a trailer (can't remember the brand) and within a few moments had a raging migraine. She said it was the smells but most of us couldn't smell anything. Later we met another couple who both said they had similar reactions.

We were selling our home several years ago and had put in new carpeting. Same thing, one lady came to view and couldn't finish the tour. We had never heard the term out-gassing at the time. We all thought she was a bit off kilter but we've learned different over the years.

Barry

[clancy_boy]

Originally Posted by safari57

<snip> within a few moments had a raging migraine. <snip>
Barry

I fall into that catagory - I tried an SOB and ended up in the 24 hour clinic for a shot to reduce the swelling in my sinus and eyes. Really bad headache was the first sign I was in trouble. Now I have and Airstream......