# Trailer Fumes



## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

Remember that odor that you had when the camper was new? Eyes would sting, noses would itch.

For most of us the odor subsided after a time. Now we hear this from the Gov't:

Fema Trailer Fumes

So if formaldehyde is so bad that the gov't wants everyone out of FEMA trailers, why are the RV companies still permitted to use materials with formaldehyde based glues? Are the RVs we own a health risk to all of us??

My camper had the smell initially. However, I have a Turbo-Maxx fan with a thermostat and I keep the windows cracked when we are not using it. My DW (the one with the superior nose) has not smelled anything for well over a year. But does the lack of odor diminish the health risk?

I will be watching this story for further development. I love to camp, and I really like my camper. But any risk to my family is not acceptable.


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## outtatown (Feb 15, 2005)

I've been following these developments it seems for over a year and I've wondered the same thing. Of course, our Outback is going on 4 years old, so the fumes are gone, however it was the 4th RV (brand new) we've owned in the last 10 years...


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

We don't live in them 24 hours-per-day, 7 days-per-week.
Many us store our trailers with vents open.
Many (most?) have vent covers so we can live/store with vents open; I doubt FEMA trailers have vent covers.
We typically don't live in them with the windows closed, heat/AC on all the time (i.e. all winter, all summer).
This is not to say that there isn't an issue, just that the use of travel trailers FOR CAMPING differs from the use of travel trailers FOR HOUSING.

A pet peeve of mine is the inability of the media to distinguish between "trailer" (meaning travel trailer) and "trailer" (meaning mobile home).

Ed


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## outtatown (Feb 15, 2005)

I think they're refering to travel trailers mostly...but I could be wrong...they all have wheels on em and look like TTs to me.


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

LarryTheOutback said:


> We don't live in them 24 hours-per-day, 7 days-per-week.
> Many us store our trailers with vents open.
> Many (most?) have vent covers so we can live/store with vents open; I doubt FEMA trailers have vent covers.
> We typically don't live in them with the windows closed, heat/AC on all the time (i.e. all winter, all summer).
> ...


Does the fact that we do not live in them 24-7-365 diminish the risk?

WHY are the RV companies permitted continued use of materials that contain a know carcinogen?

These are questions we need answered.

And as far as this report is concerned, the study was for TRAVEL TRAILERS, park models and Mobile homes.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

http://www.lindane.org/chemicals/formaldehyde.htm

In case your really bored.....In a new RV the smell really does not allow you to stay in long enough to have a long term exposure. After the glue has dried and cured you are really not exposed to the product since its off gassing is done. Your nose and eyes tells you when its absent from your camper. Those of you who smoke are at a greater risk just by smoking.....so stop! Keeping a window or roof vent open allows ventlation for off gassing in low numbers that you cant smell and those numbers are no higher then what you are exposed to every day. Unless you have a "meter" to constantly monitor the air you would never know you were being exposed in the camper or anywhere else.

Lesson: keep a window or vent open when in use and dont smoke....


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## Paul and Amy (Jul 8, 2007)

My Dad worked with formaldehyde for 40 years. He is 88, a little warped humor, but sharp as a tack and very active? The smell in my camper purchased in July 07 is gone. Now it is the air I breathe, the toys my kids play with, the dog food my dogs eat, and gas prices that are bothering me.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

If nothing else kills us, old age eventually will.


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## camping canuks (Jan 18, 2007)

3LEES said:


> We don't live in them 24 hours-per-day, 7 days-per-week.
> Many us store our trailers with vents open.
> Many (most?) have vent covers so we can live/store with vents open; I doubt FEMA trailers have vent covers.
> We typically don't live in them with the windows closed, heat/AC on all the time (i.e. all winter, all summer).
> ...


Does the fact that we do not live in them 24-7-365 diminish the risk?

WHY are the RV companies permitted continued use of materials that contain a know carcinogen?

These are questions we need answered.

And as far as this report is concerned, the study was for TRAVEL TRAILERS, park models and Mobile homes.
[/quote]

Come now, you are likely the age were you grew up with lead in the paints in your toys, in the gas your parents put in the car and lawnmower. Most papers I have read on the matter suggest high doses in closed environments over pro-longed periods, certainly not related to camping. I would be more concerned about the air you are breathing outside, everyday than inside a trailer occasionally


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Lady Di said:


> If nothing else kills us, old age eventually will.


Great...now you're scaring me.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Yes be afraid........be VERY afraid.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

3LEES said:


> Does the fact that we do not live in them 24-7-365 diminish the risk?


Yes, it probably does.

Most environmental hazards are exposure based. More exposure = more risk.

That's not to minimize the potential. The manufacturers should be moving away from these types of chemicals in occupied structures (as have many manufacturers of home products such as carpet, paint, etc).

Ed


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

I saw the same report on the news today and what it looks like to me is there are a bunch of people who are living in FEMA trailers because they don't want to buy insurance and think Uncle Sam should provide them a home for free. And now they have a new scam to get more money out of the Government. How long does it take to rebuild you real home it been 2 years now so get out of the trailers already. I also think the insurance companies should cover the house for what ever might happen to it like fire, flood. wind, earthquake or a Hurricane instead of having to buy special insurance for flood or Hurricanes or earthquake.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Oregon_Camper said:


> If nothing else kills us, old age eventually will.


Great...now you're scaring me.







[/quote]
Relax, my friend. It may take a few years...but you'll get over it


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

battalionchief3 said:


> Yes be afraid........be VERY afraid.


Sweet! Is this the new Outbacker outfit to wear at rallies? 
What a group picture that will make!



> Those of you who smoke are at a greater risk just by *smoking.....so stop*! Keeping a window or roof vent open allows ventilation for off gassing in low numbers that you cant smell and those numbers are no higher then what you are exposed to every day.


MaeJae


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## Pakeboy2 (Aug 13, 2005)

We lived in our OB for 6 months after IVAN destroyed our house. It took 15 months to rebuild...


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## fspieg (Jul 31, 2006)

battalionchief3 said:


> Yes be afraid........be VERY afraid.


Everyone going on the factory tour next summer should show up wearing one of these. If their buildings are as bad as the one's over at Starcraft (been there) you will likely wish you had one. They had huge fans running but it still burnt your eyes. Have fun.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

LarryTheOutback said:


> Does the fact that we do not live in them 24-7-365 diminish the risk?


Yes, it probably does.

Most environmental hazards are exposure based. More exposure = more risk.

That's not to minimize the potential. The manufacturers should be moving away from these types of chemicals in occupied structures (as have many manufacturers of home products such as carpet, paint, etc).

Ed
[/quote]

My educated guess is that these gasses and fumes are only dangerous over time, through a cumulative effect, just like cigarette smoke, etc. I'd bet that the workers on Keystone's assembly line that work with these glues and materials on an every day basis are more at risk than we campers, who spend only partial days, for 30-40 days a year (on average) inside them. If there was that great of a risk, OSHA would be all over Keystone for exposing workers to these fumes in the workplace.

Living in a trailer that's closed up 24/7 for most of the year is a whole different ball game. In the front of my owner's manual, it plainly states that travel trailers are not built for 24/7/365 living.

FEMA must have missed that statement in the manual!

Mike


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

I dunno... Our 2007 doesn't have that aroma anymore. To tell the truth, I kinda liked that "fuzzy" feeling I used to get.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

N7OQ said:


> I saw the same report on the news today and what it looks like to me is there are a bunch of people who are living in FEMA trailers because they don't want to buy insurance and think Uncle Sam should provide them a home for free. And now they have a new scam to get more money out of the Government.


I tend to be a little cynical and this was my first thought as many here have been able to survive the dreaded "new camper smell".


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

N7OQ said:


> I saw the same report on the news today and what it looks like to me is there are a bunch of people who are living in FEMA trailers because they don't want to buy insurance and think Uncle Sam should provide them a home for free. And now they have a new scam to get more money out of the Government.


Not to get too far afield here, but there might also be some legitimate reasons to still be in FEMA housing...

Rental housing is now dramatically more expensive then before Katrina (most remaining in trailers appear to be former renters). Property is also more expensive (victims might need to buy new property if their old property has been determined to be in a flood-prone area and thus condemmed)
Both local government, state government and FEMA have dragged their feet over approving payments, neighborhoods for reoccupancy, etc.
It has taken a long time to get levees rebuilt and the adjacent neighborhoods approved for reoccupancy.
Insurance companies have dragged their feet over settlements, especially because of (2) and (3)
Many people have poured their insurance dollars into repairing their houses, only to have the city come in a bulldoze their rebuilt houses due, apparently, to old data and a lack of common sense.
The list seems to go on and on. These are just the items that I could remember off the top of my head from news articles over the last year or so.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled formaldahyde in trailers discussion.

Ed


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I, for one, rarely trust the government to be right about anything anyway. I'm not worried about this.

Mark


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## STBNCBN (Feb 7, 2007)

outtatown said:


> I've been following these developments it seems for over a year and I've wondered the same thing. Of course, our Outback is going on 4 years old, so the fumes are gone, however it was the 4th RV (brand new) we've owned in the last 10 years...


maybe that explains the twich


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## Treker (Oct 17, 2007)

Very timely topic... our '07 OB, purchased new in Sept '07, still has an odor that causes eyes to itch. My wife cannot spend an entire night due to breathing issues caused by the odor. And, I've installed 3 roof vent covers, the OB has been on site now for almost a month, windows and vents open.

Now we may have to sell it... I am very, very disappointed in Keystone for using products that take years? to fade.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

somone in the past stated you could use bowls of ammonia to stop the smell and the after removing the amonnia smell goes away.
It was in a post sometime last eyar.


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

SteveT said:


> Very timely topic... our '07 OB, purchased new in Sept '07, still has an odor that causes eyes to itch. My wife cannot spend an entire night due to breathing issues caused by the odor. And, I've installed 3 roof vent covers, the OB has been on site now for almost a month, windows and vents open.
> 
> Now we may have to sell it... I am very, very disappointed in Keystone for using products that take years? to fade.


 This has come up before and one idea I remember from one of our many wily members. They waited for it to warm up then closed the camper up and turned the furnace on to "almost' melt mode. Then opened up the camper after a period of time, I would guess about and hour, and vented it out thoroughly. he claimed it had a great impact so its worth a try rather than have to sell.

In our Outback it took about 12 months to go away and the most impact was 1) in the following summer months and 2) when I added the maxair vents. After about 18 months (I bought in september to) it was pretty much clear of any smell.

Good luck with the problem


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## Treker (Oct 17, 2007)

Thanks for both suggestions.

I really don't want to sell, we've been planning this for a while, and now that we can live in it full time this is a very disappointing development.

Two days ago I tried the furnace trick, the fumes were strong in there (set it at 86F), aired out the camper later that day... did not help... fumes still bad.

I may try the ammonia trick...

Anyone have a good recommendation for a brand/model of 5th wheel that is 3 to 5 years old?


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

Scoutr2 said:


> My educated guess is that these gasses and fumes are only dangerous over time, through a cumulative effect, just like cigarette smoke, etc. I'd bet that the workers on Keystone's assembly line that work with these glues and materials on an every day basis are more at risk than we campers...


With some of the flaky quality issues in SOB's, they're not called Key*stoners* for nothin'!


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I did the amonia trick and it really helped. It was easy to do, pour a bunch of amonia in a metal pan from the store and let it sit for a few hours. It did almost kill me ( not literally) to pour amonia in a small space but it worked. I opened the door to the camper today because I had a slight smell but it has beed 105 deg the past few days. I keep the roof vents open and this is the first time I ever smelled anything after the first month or so....


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

I used rubbing Alcohol instead of amonia. Set a bowl of it in the kitchen sink , opens some windows and overhead vent and let it sit a few days. Seemed to work - odors were gone.

Regards, Glenn


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