FEMA Might Get Sued for Toxic Trailers

Here we are, over three years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and residents in that area are still dealing with the after effects in more ways than one.  We all know the story of how FEMA royally screwed up in the aftermath of the hurricane, failing to do its job in protecting and aiding the citizens of this country during a disaster. But the government agency also failed when they failed to act after it was discovered that the travel trailers given to affected residents to live in after their homes were destroyed were packed with formaldehyde.

Earlier this month a House committee found that the CDC and FEMA failed to protect the public’s health, and a federal judge also determined that the agency is not immune from lawsuits from Gulf Coast residents who had to breathe in the toxic fumes.

From Treehugger:

“The agency’s incomplete and inadequate handling of their public health assessment, the failure to quickly and effectively correct their scientific mistakes and their reluctance to take appropriate corrective actions was all marked by notable inattention and inaction on the part of ATSDR’s ( Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ) senior leadership.  As a result, tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina and Rita families living in trailers with elevated levels of formaldehyde were kept in harm’s way for at least one year longer than necessary.”

“U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt cited evidence that the Federal Emergency Management Agency delayed investigating complaints about formaldehyde levels in its trailers because it might be held legally responsible. The preservative can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.”

Last Friday’s ruling showed just how dirty the politics got behind the scenes at FEMA and the CDC - dirty enough to play with the health of thousands of Americans.

The trailers weren’t even tested for safety until 2006, when the Sierra Club stepped in after residents started complaining about health issues.  Treehugger reports that the CDC and FEMA didn’t react with urgency when they found out about the formaldehyde levels in the trailers, in what amounts to a cover-up.

What about the makers of the trailers, who put these products out onto the market with such dangerous levels of formaldehyde? Someone should definitely go to jail for this.

Link [Treehugger]
Photo credit: Flickr user szlea

After Hurricane Ike, Receding Floodwaters Leave Toxic Mix

Hurricane Ike may be long gone from Galveston, Texas, but for the residents who live there, the storm’s effects are far from over. One of the worst side effects of hurricanes is the toxic sludge left behind as floodwaters recede.  The mix is full of human waste, asbestos, lead, gasoline, bacteria and other substances and organisms that pose serious health and environmental risks.  Mosquitoes breed in the stagnant water, and as the water dries the sludge turns to dust that can cause respiratory issues.

The New York Times reported some of the issues Galveston and other areas affected by Hurricane Ike are currently facing:

Homes must be inspected for structural damage and for leaks before natural gas service can be restored.  And before debris can be hauled away, hazardous material has to be separated from what can be sent to recycling centers, burned or chipped into mulch.

“At 60,000-feet altitude, the damage just looks like a lot of debris,” said Steve LeBlanc, the city manager. “Just clean it up. Flip a switch. And we can be back online. It’s a whole lot more complicated than that.”

Total damages to the island are estimated to be more than $10 billion, city officials said.

Officials said that they did not expect electricity and natural gas to be restored on the entire island for at least a month and that it might take more than a year to remove all the debris. Water should be running within the next couple of weeks, they said.

A hurricane and its aftermath is, of course, an environmental disaster.  Animals are killed and displaced and plants are ripped from the ground.  Debris from ruined structures ends up in landfills.  Large swaths of land are sprayed with pesticide to kill mosquito larvae, and toxic substances in the floodwater make their way into the drinking water supply.  The desire to get things back in order as quickly as possible can lead to the improper disposal of toxic chemicals.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be taking samples of the sludge and floodwaters this week, and testing them for contaminants.  The EPA generally sends out HazMat teams to areas affected by flooding to properly clean up toxic waste.  It’s scary to think of what might be lurking in that water, and whether the methods the EPA uses are actually good enough.  Seems like residents would be better off waiting a while before returning to their homes.

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Lawmakers Finally Agree to Ban Poison in Kids’ Items Despite Exxon Lobbying

Gee, Congress. Pat on the back. After literally decades of kids playing with toys filled with toxic chemicals, you’ve finally gotten around to banning pthalates in kids’ items. Great job. We’re so glad that you’ve been on top of children’s’ safety issues, protecting our kids from harm.

The U.S. does not currently require industries to prove the safety of a chemical before it’s allowed on the market. Parents may purchase these toys for their kids thinking, ‘Surely it’s safe – the government wouldn’t allow them to be sold if they weren’t, right?’ Unfortunately, that’s incorrect. Congress just now passed a measure that would ban pthalates, a dangerous family of toxins, from kids’ items. The ban would take effect in 6 months – that is, if President Bush doesn’t veto it, which he has threatened to do.

From The Washington Post:

Among other things, the legislation would ban lead in children’s products and would give consumers access to a new database of complaints or accident reports for goods. The measure also allows stiffer fines for violations and enhanced enforcement of consumer safety laws.

Under language finalized yesterday, House and Senate lawmakers agreed to permanently ban three types of phthalates from children’s toys and to outlaw three other phthalates from products pending an extensive study of their health effects in children and pregnant women.

Phthalates make plastics softer and more durable and also are added to perfumes, lotions, shampoos and other items. They are so ubiquitous that in one 1999 study, the Food and Drug Administration found traces in all of its 1,000 subjects.

We haven’t even gotten to the worst part yet. Believe it or not, this legislation got bogged down in the House due to a ‘costly battle’ waged by Exxon Mobil (could they BE any more evil?), who manufacture the pthalate most commonly found in children’s toys. In fact, they have said that they’re protesting the ban because without pthalates, manufacturers will be ‘forced’ to use even more dangerous chemicals instead.

Here’s an idea, folks: STOP PUTTING TOXINS IN KIDS’ TOYS! It’s really not that hard! It’s amazing that these companies are allowed to knowingly poison kids – and our country has just sat back and allowed it to happen. Sickening.

Link [The Washington Post]
Photo credit: Flickr user greenmelinda

White House Preventing EPA From Testing Toxicity of Chemicals

What do you know, the White House and the EPA are in our ‘Planet Killers’ news once again. Congressional investigators have found that the Bush administration is keeping the EPA from performing important tests on chemicals to determine health effects. What they’re doing, basically, is allowing nonscientists to have a big say in the process, and keeping it a secret from the public (or trying to).

From MSNBC.com:

The administration’s decision to give the Defense Department and other agencies an early role in the process adds to years of delay in acting on harmful chemicals and jeopardizes the program’s credibility, the Government Accountability Office concluded.

At issue is the EPA’s screening of chemicals used in everything from household products to rocket fuel to determine if they pose serious risk of cancer or other illnesses.

A new review process begun by the White House in 2004 is adding more speed bumps for EPA scientists, the GAO said in its report, which will be the subject of a Senate Environment Committee hearing Tuesday. A formal policy effectively doubling the number of steps was adopted two weeks ago.

While we’re stewing in a toxic mix of chemicals that could very well be altering our cells in a way that science has yet to identify and understand, the government is engaging in this chaotic game of ping pong where various agencies are throwing information back and forth at each other with no apparent rhyme or reason to the process. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, since hardly anything the government does is actually efficient, but this is a matter of life and death – literally.

What it amounts to is the government protecting chemical companies. How many industries has the Bush administration whored itself out to? It’s astounding.

Link [MSNBC]

Photo credit: Flickr user Foxtongue