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FORMALDEHYDE VICTIMS IN DANGER OF LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

What Do the Parts Per Billion Formaldehyde Test Results Really Mean?

Feb. 15, 2008 – Formaldehyde victims housed in toxic FEMA trailers and mobile homes were accustomed to test results being reported in parts per million (ppm). The informal testing that began in April 2006 by the Sierra Club, which first discovered the toxicity of the FEMA trailers, was reported in parts per million. The official testing that followed by the Environmental Protection Agency was also reported in parts per million. So when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its findings yesterday, February 14, 2008, reporting formaldehyde levels in parts per billion—not ppm—formaldehyde victims grappled to grasp a clear understanding of the newly released CDC test results.

Out of the 519 units that the CDC tested, an average level of 77 parts per billion (ppb) of formaldehyde was found. Technically this means that every one billion parts of air contained 77 parts of formaldehyde. Using an online conversion program, 77 ppb converts to 0.077 ppm. The highest level of formaldehyde reported was 590 ppb, or 0.59 ppm.

In order to determine if these levels are detrimental to occupant health, we must take into consideration the amount of time that a person actually spends inside the unit. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has set the following Indoor Reference Exposure Limits (IREL) to identify harmful limits of formaldehyde exposure relevant to the duration of exposure. For an eight-hour period, the OEHHA has set an indoor reference level of 27 ppb. This means that building occupants should not experience ill health effects, such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, from exposure to formaldehyde levels below 27 ppb provided exposure does not exceed an eight-hour period, according to the California Air Resources Board. Twenty-seven ppb converts to 0.027 ppm.

Thad Godish, PhD, CIH, who is a professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at Ball State University and directs the university’s indoor air quality/indoor environmental research program, concurs that below 27 ppb may be a feasibly safe level of formaldehyde exposure. He states in MOLD: The War Within, a book on the health effects of Katrina authored by Katrina evacuees Kurt and Lee Ann Billings, “Studies by Australian scientists have shown adverse physiological reactions even at 0.05 ppm.” The Billings report, “Because of the findings of these studies, Dr. Godish cites 0.03 ppm as a ‘feasibly safe level’ of airborne formaldehyde.”

But what if a person occupies a building for longer than an eight-hour period of time? According to the OEHHA, in order to protect against irritation to the eyes and upper and lower respiratory systems, chronic formaldehyde exposure limits must be below 2.4 ppb. For this reason, the OEHHA has set a Chronic Reference Exposure Level for formaldehyde at 2.4 ppb. Exposure is considered chronic anytime occupant exposure is continual or for an extended period of time on a regular basis. Elevated levels of formaldehyde in a living environment could result in chronic exposure. Also, exposure can occur from two different indoor locations. For example, a child could be being exposed to elevated levels of formaldehyde in both his/her living environment, such as in a FEMA trailer, and in his/her school, such as in a portable classroom. Both of these types of structures are susceptible to elevated levels of formaldehyde, which if that was the case, would result in near-continual exposure to elevated levels of formaldehyde for the child.

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