FEMA Trailer Caused La. Woman's Cancer, Suit Says

A Louisiana woman is suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for allegedly exposing her to dangerous levels of formaldehyde while she lived in a government-supplied trailer after Hurricane Katrina.

Plaintiff Yvette Joseph says she experienced headaches, nausea and respiratory problems while living in the trailer. She says she later developed thyroid cancer from being exposed to formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde is a common preservative in building materials such as plywood and particle board. It is a known carcinogen and can cause respiratory problems. High indoor temperatures and humidity can raise formaldehyde levels.

"Despite federal regulation of formaldehyde levels in manufactured housing, numerous lawsuits and prior reports of hazardous levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, the defendants failed to warn plaintiff that she would be in danger," the complaint says.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, names FEMA and an unidentified trailer manufacturer as defendants. It alleges negligence, negligence per se and gross negligence.

Joseph is seeking unspecified damages.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has consolidated similar claims filed by various plaintiffs in the Eastern District of Louisiana and could add Joseph's suit to the class litigation.

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Joseph is represented by Bernard Charbonnet Jr. and Barryl Harrison in New Orleans.