What began as a good deed in the wake of a natural disaster is now making people ill from toxic fumes. The companies that built the FEMA trailers for Hurricane Katrina victims contained toxic fumes that injured thousands of people.
The trailers contained harmful amounts of formaldehyde that caused trailer residents and the workers building the trailer to fall seriously ill. Some workers collapsed on the floor while building the trailers. The workers at Gulf Stream Coach in Indiana reported feeling flu like symptoms while building the trailers. Gulf Stream received $500 million to construct 50,000 trailers after Katrina.
Workers at Gulf Stream said they had to build about 100 trailers every day, which forced them to us low-quality materials. The poor quality floorboards contained dangerous amounts of formaldehyde, according to one worker. The worker said managers at Gulf Stream told them to open the windows when FEMA inspectors arrived in an attempt to mask the smell from the formaldehyde.
Overexposure to formaldehyde can cause burning, dryness, redness and itching of the eyes. The victim can also experience sinus congestion and a sore throat. Formaldehyde can also attack the central nervous system, causing fatigue, headaches and disturbed sleep.
Have you suffered from any effects from formaldehyde exposure at work?
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans injury attorneys