Citing a "trail of e-mails" obtained by Congressional investigators, the Post said reports of the problem first surfaced in March 2006, and a trailer resident sued FEMA in May of that year. The newspaper quoted from a June 2006 communication from a FEMA logistics expert, who cited an advisory from the agency's Office of General Counsel that FEMA avoid routine testing of the trailers, which "would imply FEMA's ownership of this issue."
FEMA tested no occupied trailers after March 2006, when initial tests found formaldehyde levels at 75 times the recommended maximum, the newspaper said. On June 27, 2006, a man in Slidell, La., was found dead in his trailer after having complained of fumes, the Post said.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been holding hearings on the matter.
Formaldehyde, a wood preservative, can cause vision and respiratory problems. Long-term exposure has been linked to cancer, asthma, bronchitis, and allergies in children, the Post said.
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U.S. Senate Panel OKs Child Insurance Bill
Despite a threatened veto from President Bush, a Senate committee on Thursday approved a $35 billion child's health insurance bill to be paid for with higher tobacco taxes.
By an overwhelming 17-4, the Senate Finance Committee voted to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Associated Press reported. The program subsidizes insurance for children and some adults who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.
The Senate bill brings total funding for the program to $60 billion over five years, which is double what the Bush administration proposed, the wire service said. Taxes on many tobacco products would rise, including a 61-cent jump on a pack of cigarettes alone.
Senate proponents said the legislation would allow 6.6 million people to maintain current health insurance, and would fund coverage for another 3.2 million children who are now uninsured, the AP said.
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Rx for Confusion: Tamper-Proof Prescription Pads
A small provision slipped into a military funding bill would require that all prescriptions for Medicaid patients be written on tamper-proof pads to thwart forgeries, beginning Oct. 1.
Trouble is, most U.S. doctors don't use such pads, the Associated Press reports. That's got pharmacy groups nationwide asking for a delay in the law's implementation.
Some states require the pads, but usually only for controlled substances that are subject to abuse, the wire service said.
Opponents of the new rule or its speedy start date say it's unclear exactly what qualifies as tamper-proof pads, who is going to pay for them, and what pharmacies are supposed to do when a person shows up with an old-fashioned regular piece of paper.
A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the wire service that there are no plans to delay the law.
Countered Paul Kelly, vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores: "Our members are absolutely flabbergasted that they're going to be put on the hook for denying prescriptions if something is not on a tamper-proof pad."
"Our biggest fear is the negative impact this could have on patient care and access to prescriptions," he told the AP.
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Easy-Bake Child Ovens Recalled for Injury Hazard
Hasbro is recalling Easy-Bake ovens because children may get their fingers caught in the product, putting them at risk of being burned, CBS News reported Thursday.
About 1 million toy ovens are affected in the second recall of the product in less than a year. Retrofit kits designed to eliminate the hazards, first announced in February, are involved in the new recall, the network said. The affected model number is 65805.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the oven's opening, including 77 cases of burns, CBS said. One 5-year-old child was so badly burned that her finger was partially amputated.
The product was sold at retailers including Toys 'R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target, KB Toys, and others from May 2006 through July 2007 for about $25. Ovens sold before May 2006 aren't included in the recall. |