The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which supplied about 120,000 travel trailers to hurricane victims in 2005, is expected to be named as a co-defendant in a massive lawsuit against manufacturers charging the units had dangerous levels of formaldehyde.
Letecheia Acker, who lives with her husband and two young sons in a FEMA trailer in Pearlington, Miss., said she joined the lawsuit because she thought a trial would shed light on troubling questions she has had about the long-term effects of formaldehyde exposure.
“The more people who are asking questions, the more information we’ll have,” Acker said.
If the hurricane victims prevail, the formaldehyde suit could rival other huge product-liability lawsuits, including those filed against asbestos and tobacco manufacturers, in the scope and size of awards.