Formaldehyde in FEMA Trailers

I have read in a number of news reports that FEMA trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims are causing a number individuals who reside in them to become ill because of exposures to formaldehyde. Could formaldehyde be causing their reported health problems and what can those affected do about it? Anon 

Travel trailers like mobile homes have had a long history of being contaminated with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a gas released into building environments from adhesives used to make pressed wood products such as particleboard, hardwood paneling and medium-density fiberboard. These are used in travel trailers and mobile homes for floor decking (particleboard), wood cabinetry materials (particleboard, paneling, medium-density particleboard) and furniture (particleboard, medium-density fiberboard).

 Formaldehyde is a potent sensory irritant that causes irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, sinuses, as well as the lower respiratory system (cough, shortness of breath, chest pain). It can also apparently cause headaches, unusual fatigue, disturbed sleep, and diarrhea. It can also predispose an individual to infections of the eyes and sinuses.

These symptoms can all be caused by formaldehyde at relatively low exposure levels (> 0.05 PPM). The odor of formaldehyde is distinctive but is often masked by the odors of other materials.

Fortunately for most individuals who reside in trailers or mobile homes formaldehyde levels in indoor environments are only a fraction of what was commonly the case in the 1980s.

Formaldehyde levels in new trailers/mobile homes can vary considerably depending on the company that manufactures a particular product or model. Typically in trailers/mobile homes constructed today, the major source of formaldehyde is particleboard decking and/or materials that were used to construct cabinetry and furniture.

Cabinets may be constructed from wood paneling, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard. It is not uncommon that all three wood products are present. They all can be potent emitters of formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde levels decrease with time, by as much as 50-75% over a period of several years. Most of the decrease occurs in the first 6 to 9 months of the unit’s history.

Formaldehyde levels are higher on warm/hot, humid days and reach their lowest values on cool winter days. In general one can reduce formaldehyde by ventilating a trailer/mobile home, that is, by opening windows. However, in hot humid environments (such as along the Gulf Coast during summer months) that may not be an option. In such cases it would be advisable to attempt to reduce formaldehyde levels and thus exposures by climate control. Formaldehyde levels in building structures are significantly affected by temperature and humidity. By reducing the temperature in a trailer or mobile home from 80 to 74 degrees using an air conditioner one can reduce formaldehyde levels as much as 50 % as a result of the temperature and humidity reductions provided at such a thermostat setting.

Travel trailers are often manufactured by companies that manufacture mobile homes. The construction of mobile homes is regulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD regulates emissions of formaldehyde from particleboard and wood paneling and requires manufactures to post a health notice in a prominent location inside the mobile home indicating the nature of health concerns associated with formaldehyde exposures in mobile homes. This health notice is also to be included in the owner's manual.

HUD formaldehyde standards are not very stringent, nor protective. Fortunately over the years the wood products industry in the US has significantly improved their products so that formaldehyde levels in new mobile homes (and likely travel trailers) are much lower than those that would be permissible under the HUD wood products standard. In general one would not expect formaldehyde levels in new mobile homes and travel trailers in the US to be much above 0.10 PPM. 

Since travel trailers are not homes they are not subject to HUD regulation. As a result manufacturers are not required to post a health notice. In addition manufacturers are not required to use HUD compliant wood products in travel trailer construction (although they usually do). 

Trailer/ RV manufacturers can use formaldehyde-emitting wood products manufactured in the US or those imported from other nations. Pressed wood products produced in south Asia are not subject to any formaldehyde emission requirements and in fact are often potent emitters of formaldehyde. It is quite possible in a high demand building environment that some manufacturers used pressed wood products in the construction of FEMA travel trailers provided for Hurricane Katrina victims that originated from south Asia and thus have significantly higher formaldehyde levels than would normally be the case. 

What is a safe level of formaldehyde? Unfortunately there is no definitive answer to this question. Both the California Air Resources Board and Department of Health have set an action guideline of 0.10 PPM for remediation and a target acceptable level of 0.05 PPM. However, studies by Australian scientists have shown adverse physiological reactions even at 0.05 PPM.

August 25,2006