January 28, 2008
Michael Chertoff, Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Naval Security Station
3801 Nebraska Ave., N.W.
Washington,
D.C. 20393
Dear Secretary Chertoff:
The Committee has information and documents that lead us to conclude that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ignored, hid and manipulated government research on the potential impact of long-term exposure to formaldehyde on Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita victims now residing in FEMA’s recreational vehicles (frequently referred to as travel trailers). The information concerns FEMA’s manipulation of the scope of a critical “health consultation” prepared by a little-known office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). This past pattern of behavior calls into question whether the current testing program of 500 of these trailers now underway will be scientifically credible.
