According to an Associated Press story on the Government Executive website, "Christopher De Rosa, a top scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's toxic substances agency, said his bosses told him that his warnings of a 'pending public health catastrophe' could be misinterpreted if publicly released." De Rosa was told to keep quiet about the high levels of formaldehyde gas found in FEMA trailers that Katrina victims were given.

"Misinterpreted," eh?

What, those poor folks living in trailers filled with formaldehyde gas and the public at large might actually think that the trailers were dangerous, when they weren't? Or was it that the trailers were dangerous, but neither the CDC or FEMA wanted anyone to know about the risks because it would be politically embarrassing?

Let's refresh some memories, shall we?

In April 2006, the Sierra Club found that quality tests of 44 FEMA trailers had "formaldehyde concentrations as high as 0.34 parts per million – a level nearly equal to what a professional embalmer would be exposed to on the job, according to one study of the chemical’s workplace effects."

FEMA's response? Only about 20 people complained about it, FEMA said, so what was the fuss? Anyway, the solution to the problem was merely to open the trailer windows. It would be happy to show trailer residents how.

Rather than confront the risks head on, FEMA ran away, especially after its own testing found formaldehyde gas at 75 times the recommended maximum for U.S. workers.

In June 2006, "a FEMA logistics expert wrote that the agency's Office of General Counsel 'has advised that we do not do testing, which would imply FEMA's ownership of this issue.' A FEMA lawyer, Patrick Preston, wrote on June 15: 'Do not initiate any testing until we give the OK. . . . Once you get results and should they indicate some problem, the clock is running on our duty to respond to them.' "

FEMA enlisted the CDC to help evaluate the risk.

The CDC -- which has as a core value that states, "As diligent stewards of public trust and public funds, we act decisively and compassionately in service to the people’s health" -- should have risen up in righteous rage over FEMA's duck and hide attitude, but instead decided to be complicit in minimizing the health risks involved.

Senior management sat on reports by De Rosa that there were serious health problems with the trailers. The CDC, when finally moved to act in early 2007 (and management ensured that De Rosa couldn't review the results), limited the risk assessment to short-term exposure to formaldehyde and not the effects of long-term exposure to it.

Thus, the CDC advised FEMA to again tell those living in trailers that the health risk was low and to simply open the windows - that was a viable risk aversion strategy. FEMA touted the trailers were safe as a result.

Finally, the CDC in February 2008 "released preliminary results from additional testing showing that FEMA trailers and mobile homes had formaldehyde levels that were, on average, about five times higher than in most modern homes."

Only then, did the CDC urge FEMA to act with vigor in getting folks out of the Katrina trailers.

Of course, CDC management claims that it was all just a big misunderstanding. They never sought to muzzle De Rosa or to mislead the public.

Yeah, right.

I think that senior executives at both the CDC and FEMA need to re-read their mission statements and their respective agency's core value statements at the start of every day, and try for the remainder of this administration to remember that their primary mission is to manage the people's risks, not (what's left of) their organization's bureaucratic or political pride.

Maybe the next administration will put responsible people in place at senior levels who understand this. Right now, those in charge at either organization can't claim to have much credibility when they argue that something poses little or no risk.