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Formaldehyde:
Your Comments
When we began reporting the formaldehyde problems that surfaced with the FEMA-issued trailers to Katrina survivors, no one seemed to be aware of the extent of the problems.
We received (and continue to receive) a very high number of your comments sharing your personal experiences with formaldehyde issues. A sampling of your comments appear below:
I purchased a 2008 Fleetwood Discovery and it was loaded with formaldehyde. I had to drive it home with all the windows open. I then decontaminated it. It only took a week with an ozonator -- using it in the proper fashion.
The facts are that if the (FEMA) trailers were opened to the atmosphere and left that way for a while the normal ozone in the air would have cleansed it (the formaldehyde fumes) from the trailer. Good 'ole fresh air will do the trick also. It just takes longer.
Dennis McCanna
Our 2005 Jayco Designer had a strong smell of formaldehyde when we purchased it new from the dealer. It definitely burned the eyes and nose when we first purchased it. By leaving the windows open when
storing it and using it only for short-term stays, the odor has decreased to unnoticeable. The dealer says our observations are common.
Chris Shineldecker
Bought a new 2005 Forest River Wildcat fifth wheel. The inside was so bad during the summer months that our eyes would start to burn and we could not breath. We had to sell the unit.
Harvey Schwartz
I was at an RV show, and by the end of the day, after hours of sitting in many different kinds of RVs, I was wheezing and coughing, and my eyes stung. I surmised the cause to be out-gassing of formaldehyde. After a second and third trip out RV shopping, the same results occurred. I have not had the same symptoms when looking at used (2-7-year-old) rigs. Would it be correct to assume these units are safer than if I purchased a new unit today?
Angela Vallero
I saw several FEMA trailers when I participated in Katrina relief efforts in early 2006. You make a good point about the poor quality of the units purchased by FEMA. I would not even dream of purchasing one of them using my own money. I have no doubt that the manufacturers of those units paid no attention to the materials used with regard to
formaldehyde off-gassing.
A quality RV manufacturer will take pains to keep the amount of formaldehyde off-gassing to a minimum. Exclusive use of properly-sealed plywood rather than OSB or MDF makes a good start. Careful selection of insulation helps also (some insulation emits no off-gassing at all).
I have owned a 2004 Pleasure-Way Excel and find the interior air quite acceptable. Occasionally, my wife (who suffers with sensitivity to many chemicals — VOCs in particular) requires a little extra ventilation. We recently upgraded to a Coach House Platinum. When we sat in the unit we purchased on a recent sunny, warm, humid Florida afternoon my wife only detected minor discomfort which a little ventilation fixed. These two units exemplify my idea of quality.
Dave Abbott
My company builds fine custom homes and we have been using "green" building products for years and have constantly been improving indoor air quality in our homes as a matter of practice. I am also an avid camper and RV enthusiast. It has always bothered me that the RV industry has been so slow in embracing "green" products like low VOC carpeting and formaldehyde-free glues in building its products. I realize some of the products are marginally more expensive, but come on folks, we're talking about our health here!
I have been in many a new camper that I would never let my family sleep in because the fumes literally burn your mucous membranes. How smart does one have to be to realize there is a moral and ethical dilemma to face here? And why haven't RV builders embraced the green revolution? If even one manufacturer started toting a green product, their sales would increase.
Stephen Ellerbrake
In response to your formaldehyde article, I just wanted to pass on information about our trailer -- a 2006 Ameri-Camp that we use just for family vacations. If we leave it closed up for a significant length of time, such as during storage or in hot weather, the inside air stings our eyes and slightly burns our nostrils. I suspected this was off-gasing from the materials used in travel trailers. We make sure to vent out the trailer with fresh air before use and leave vents and windows open when sleeping.
Craig Phillips
Don't think that this is just a problem with cheap trailers. In the fall of 2007, my wife and I went to Clarksville, IN to look at Allegro Bus motorhomes. It was a warm day and when we went into a new 2007 forty-three foot motorhome, our eyes burned while we were inside. We left within a couple of minutes. The sales person said that this happens occasionaly when the new products are not aired out. I can't imagine living in the motorhome for several months at a time with that kind of a smell. This isn't a problem with cheap trailers only or with Tiffin motorhomes only, it is a much larger issue since the industry often uses common suppliers for their furniture, etc.
Ray Weigand
I bought a new Tiffin Phaeton in February of 2006. We took it to Indiana in March and Las Vegas in late March and I only noticed my eyes burning. In late May 2006 we took it to the Minneapolis area and it was humid and warm outside. We stayed in the motorhome for the first time. The first morning my wife awakened with severe respiratory problems and we took her to the emergency room where they put her on oxygen and gave her breathing treatments. We went home and she did not improve. Our doctor put her in the hospital and she was diagnosed with pneumonia and a partially collapsed lung. Prior to this she had only had mild asthma symptoms and had never used a nebulizer. She was on oxygen 24/7 for weeks and nebulizing 3-4 times daily.
In the summer of 2006 I obtained a formaldehyde testing kit and confirmed our coach tested very high. We sold the coach in November, fully disclosing the problem.
Keith Berg
Last year while looking for a new trailer at different dealers' lots, we found all the trailers gave me a bad headache and burning eyes, and smelled bad. We purchased a 5-year-old unit with odors gone. No new trailer for us until the makers of trailers start using materials that are more people-friendly
Don Searcy
The California Air Resourses Board has researched this problem extensively and there are solutions. I was present at the meeting where this was discussed: http://greensource.construction.com/news/080107CARB.asp
There are new glues available that are totally natural and perform equally well. In one instance we heard a researcher speak who found that the natural glue that clams use to adhere to piers and cement pilings is extremely strong and waterproof. New products are coming out soon (if not already).
It is important to encourage RV manufacturers to make this switch.
Also, note, please advise people to OPEN THE WINDOWS as much as possible rather than stay cooped up with the air conditioning on.
Francois Choquette
We have a 2007 Rockwood fifth Wheel by Forest River. While the RV is in storage and sits in the hot sun day in and day out, we can barely stand to be inside for more than a few minutes at a time. Our eyes and nostrils sting and our throats burn. When we travel with the fifth wheel and set up at our destination of choice, we have to be certain to start the air conditioning or heat (depending on the time of year) to dissipate the irritating fumes. Effects, other than those I mentioned when the trailer is in hot and humid conditions, are nonexistent when we run the heating or cooling system.
Joseph P. Ward
I own a Passport Ultralite made by Keystone. Strong pungent eye-burning fumes are present within the camper, especially in the hot weather.
Larry Guilbeau
The real culprit in the trailer issue isn't FEMA, but rests with the trailer manufacturers. If they had built the trailers properly, this problem would never have surfaced. Why are people still in the trailers after three years? FEMA surely didn't intend for this to be. Where are the states and cities on this issue? What are they doing to get the people into proper housing.? Are the insurance companies doing their best to solve the problems? I don't think my tax dollars should be spent doing others' work. FEMA can't be responsible for everything.
Frank Harrington
I recently purchased a new 2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe and it most definitely has a rather distinct, but unique, "new car smell". Not sure whether the smell is associated with formaldehyde as I don't know how I would detect or measure that. But the trailer has been parked at my residence awaiting the spring camping season and still has that "new car smell". I will have to evaluate potential formaldehyde issues as I begin using the trailer.
Bruce Boles
I don't think that the RV manufacturers are going to do anything about the formaldehyde issue unless someone forces them to. The RVIA website says the government needs to pass legislation that lowers the levels of formaldehyde that are acceptable. What is RVIA doing? Probably nothing as usual. They need to get on the ball and get laws passed that prevent this type of problem from happening. The manufacturers of these trailers should be identified so that we in the RVing community will not buy their products. Maybe someday the RV industry will get the message and put real quality control in place so that RVers will have fewer problems to deal with.
Leonard Melander
As a full-time RVer I live in a 2006 Fleetwood Bounder 35E. One of their warning signs was taped on my bathroom mirror.
Warning: Certain products are manufactured with urea formaldehyde, etc.
Warning Irritant: Ditto...
Ventilation is important...
I actually did not smell the formaldehyde odors. My nose was not working too good, probably due to my allergies and sinus issues. Also the air quality in Phoenix is not always that good. However, I thought there might be some kind of problem with this stuff, so I had my blood collected and tested on 10-18-2006. This was for no other medical reasons -- just to see if there were any physical problems with the urea formaldehyde. The results were Formaldehyde lgM asr 1:8 as "HIGH".
I opened the ceiling vents and windows for lots of ventilation.
My second blood test a year later for formaldehyde came back as K080 Formaldehyde <0.05 Negative. Specific levels of IgE were less than <0.05. As you can see, the formaldehyde dropped quite a bit between these two dates.
L. Noack
We bought a 2006 40-foot Travel Supreme Envoy in Aug of 2006 -- which, it turns out, was built in 2004 and delivered to the dealer in March of 2005. Plenty of time to air it out. NOT SO! We ended up in an emergency room with the effects of outgassing, which was proven by an environmental company who took readings. We are now under a pulmonary specialist's care.
Hank & Rhon Leonard
Our new Crossroad Cruiser was loaded with fumes: My husband's eyes watered, and I got a huge headache sleeping overnight in the RV.. I had to keep the bedroom windows wide open for several months. We also did the ammonia trick....maybe it helped?
Cindy Baxter
We thank everyone who has taken the time to write to us and share your personal experiences with this most important health-related issue. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel soon, but we are keeping our lanterns lit until we actually see the light.
Please read the latest update to this saga . . .
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