Formaldehyde In Building Materials
My husband and I are researching the purchase of a travel trailer. When looking at a Wildwood X-Lite I noticed a decal that the dealer explained shows that they use building materials free of formalde...
Forum Discussion
Formaldehyde was used in a majority of RVs over the years. As mentioned, those in New Orleans had people complaining about the FEMA trailers. One of the problems with those trailers, and the reasons behind the problems, was that they were put into use days after they were coming off the assembly line.
Typically, the formaldehyde will "air out" of the trailer in a few weeks, as a natural part of the product, but these units were needed right away, so they didn't sit on a dealership lot or at the mfgr's lot as would normally be the case...and I guess nobody really thought about it.
A few folks complained of headaches and such, when living in the trailers, and they blamed the formaldehyde. Then, once a couple of people had issues, it spread like wild fire, and EVERYONE was trying to get something for nothing.
As far as I know, most (if not all) of the trailers that were used for temporary housing have been sold and reused, or FEMA has them in storage for the next emergency....and they are fine now.
It was that "scare" after the hurricane, that has many of the manufacturers saying that they are now using non-formaldehyde products...But honestly, the smells that make that "new car" smell or the "new" carpet smell are just chemicals that are gassing off....and 99% of them are harmless. Pressure treated lumber was also "dangerous", and not recommended for use inside homes, though plenty of people have done it, and once painted, it is the same as any other lumber.
Not that it's much adoe about nothing, but like so many things, the media makes mountains out of mole hills....
Bottom line...if you find two trailers that have all the features you want, and they are priced differently (because one is "greener"), I still think I'd buy the cheaper one. and then donate the money I saved to a good charity, or better yet, use it to go camping!!
Typically, the formaldehyde will "air out" of the trailer in a few weeks, as a natural part of the product, but these units were needed right away, so they didn't sit on a dealership lot or at the mfgr's lot as would normally be the case...and I guess nobody really thought about it.
A few folks complained of headaches and such, when living in the trailers, and they blamed the formaldehyde. Then, once a couple of people had issues, it spread like wild fire, and EVERYONE was trying to get something for nothing.
As far as I know, most (if not all) of the trailers that were used for temporary housing have been sold and reused, or FEMA has them in storage for the next emergency....and they are fine now.
It was that "scare" after the hurricane, that has many of the manufacturers saying that they are now using non-formaldehyde products...But honestly, the smells that make that "new car" smell or the "new" carpet smell are just chemicals that are gassing off....and 99% of them are harmless. Pressure treated lumber was also "dangerous", and not recommended for use inside homes, though plenty of people have done it, and once painted, it is the same as any other lumber.
Not that it's much adoe about nothing, but like so many things, the media makes mountains out of mole hills....
Bottom line...if you find two trailers that have all the features you want, and they are priced differently (because one is "greener"), I still think I'd buy the cheaper one. and then donate the money I saved to a good charity, or better yet, use it to go camping!!
