Democrats: Makers knew Katrina trailers tainted

WASHINGTON (AP) - A congressional report released today finds manufacturers knew there were high levels of formaldehyde in the trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina victims, but sold them to the government anyway. The report by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is at odds with an analysis done by Republican staffers on the same committee. The Republican report found that trailer manufacturers should not be held accountable for the high levels of formaldehyde - a preservative commonly used in building materials - in trailers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up to house people displaced by Katrina in 2005. Republicans say it is the governments fault for not having standards for safe levels of formaldehyde in trailers. But Democrats say their staff interviewed employees from one of the manufacturers - Gulf Stream Coach - who said they, too, were suffering effects from formaldehyde exposure, including nose bleeds, shortness of breath, dizziness and bleeding ears. One employee told investigators that there was a foul odor throughout the plant. Gulf Stream received the bulk of the FEMA trailer contracts after Katrina, collecting more than 500 million dollars. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said the Democrats investigation found that Gulf Stream did test trailers, but treated the test results as a public relations liability instead of as a health hazard. (© The Associated Press, All rights reserved.)