A dubious gift, courtesy of FEMA

Tennessee communities devastated by deadly tornadoes are about to receive an unwelcome gift from the federal government – trailers that are potentially contaminated by high levels of formaldehyde.

The state should refuse the trailers and look for safer housing for the more than 500 families left homeless by the twisters. Don’t let the storms’ victims be twice harmed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced plans to send trailers to storm-ravaged counties in Tennessee and Arkansas on Tuesday. FEMA bought the trailers in 2005 to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but didn’t use them. More than 6,300 trailers remain in storage in Hope, Ark., and 75,000 unused trailers are stored nationwide.

But this isn’t a simple story of government waste or bureaucratic ineptitude. It’s much worse.

Just two days after the trailers-for-Tennessee announcement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of potential health risks. The CDC has confirmed that many of the FEMA trailers contain high levels of formaldehyde gas. Short-term exposure to the pungent gas causes respiratory problems, nose bleeds and eye irritation. Long-term exposure can cause cancer.

The CDC is urging hurricane survivors to move out of the trailers that have been their homes for about two years. The elderly, children and those with chronic health problems like asthma are being urged to move quickly, since they are most at risk.

This warning comes 23 months after FEMA first received reports of health problems among hurricane survivors living in the trailers. Test results showed that some trailers had formaldehyde levels that were 75 times the levels that are considered safe, according to the Washington Post. Initially, FEMA denied there was a problem, and the agency engaged in months of foot-dragging before testing the air inside the trailers, the Post reported.

Now, FEMA is looking to unload its tainted trailers on unsuspecting Tennesseans. Outrageously, the agency issued a statement vouching that the Tennessee-bound trailers were safe even after the CDC issued its warning. Tennessee leaders should not accept FEMA’s word on the matter. The agency has a poor track record.

Meanwhile, a congressional committee is looking into allegations that the CDC delayed its report on the trailers, perhaps at the behest of the Bush administration. There also are allegations that a CDC scientist who raised early concerns about the trailers was demoted and reassigned. And lawsuits have been filed – both by hurricane survivors and members of the public who purchased surplus trailers at discount prices from the federal government.

Until these matters are resolved, the trailers should remain parked. They shouldn’t be sold to unsuspecting members of the public and they shouldn’t be pawned off on Tennessee.

The state’s tornado victims have suffered enough. They shouldn’t be forced to choose between a roof over their heads and their health or that of their children. Tennessee should come up with a better plan to house those left homeless.