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Washington: Certain brands and sizes of trailers used to house victims of Hurricane Katrina seem to release more formaldehyde than others. A report by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not find a clear enough pattern to state definitively and officials say they want to check a wider selection of temporary housing.
"There are different brands that are statistically significantly higher than other brands," Dr Michael McGeehin from the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health said.
Formaldehyde, a chemical used in the manufacture of building materials, can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. High levels of exposure may cause cancer.
The larger park model trailers, up to 37 sq metres in size, appeared to have the lowest formaldehyde levels while the smallest mobile homes tended to have the highest, the report shows.
On the other hand, a random sampling of trailers showed some examples of every type and brand had very high levels of formaldehyde, while other examples of every type and brand had very low levels. People have been living in them since hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped across the Gulf Coast in the late summer of 2005.
While recreational use of trailers may not pose a problem, schools often use them for temporary classrooms.
McGeehin said CDC would confer with manufacturers, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies about the issue.
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