Gassed Off: Back in New Orleans

Lest we forget about the Bush administrations on-going marginal care of the Big Easy and its environs since Hurricane Katrina a year ago, now comes word that even though displaced New Orleaneans finally got the FEMA trailers, the wheeled abodes contain hazardous levels of formaldehyde gas, based on indoor tests. Because of a loophole, travel trailers are exempt from HUD regulations of formaldehyde levels in prefabricated dwellings, so FEMA did not bother to test. The chemical, which causes various respiratory ailments, is used as an adhesive for the pressed wood that is used in these travel trailers. I know that the Katrina disaster represents a financial windfall for the trailer industry, but the feds need to attend to detail, rather than just feeding the market.