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Three mobile homes set aside by federal officials for tornado victims in Arkansas have formaldehyde levels rivaling that of housing deemed unsafe for victims of 2005 hurricanes on the Gulf Coast.
Test results of the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- obtained by The Associated Press -- show about half of the mobile
homes tested have formaldehyde levels higher than the average home.
Three of the 32 mobile homes tested from among the thousands stored at the Hope Municipal Airport have levels high enough to put possible residents at an increased risk of cancer and respiratory illnesses.
FEMA (web|news) is offering some of the more than 7,500 mobile homes it has stored at the Hope airport to those states where tornadoes hit
February 5th. Contractors began testing the trailers stored there for formaldehyde in March.
FEMA said it would leave the decision on what levels of formaldehyde would be acceptable to the states receiving the homes
because there is no federal limit. Governor Beebe has said he would leave the final decision to those who would be living in the mobile homes.
The governor plans to meet Wednesday with advisers to discuss whether the state should accept the mobile homes.
Formaldehyde is a preservative commonly used in construction materials. The list of test results shows the 32 mobile homes
tested had formaldehyde levels ranging from 3.1 parts per billion to 86 parts per billion, for an average of 25 parts per billion.
The average modern home has about a level of 15 parts per billion of formaldehyde.
Mobile homes and travel trailers used by victims of the 2005 hurricanes had levels averaging 77 parts per billion. At that
level, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there could be a danger of cancer. Three homes at Hope tested for
Arkansas tornado victims had levels of 77, 85 and 86.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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