NEW ORLEANS, May 18, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP, Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C., Law Offices of Daniel E. Becnel, Jr. and the Law Offices of Ronnie G. Penton have filed a class action lawsuit against the private contractors as well as the federal government on behalf of multiple individuals who sustained serious pulmonary injuries as a result of being exposed to formaldehyde while living in a trailer home provided by FEMA due to having been rendered homeless as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The case was filed today in United States District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana (Docket number 07-2961).
This suit alleges that persons who spent significant time in the FEMA provided housing units have been exposed to dangerously high concentrations of formaldehyde fumes and sustained serious injuries as a result of this exposure.
Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP, Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C., the Law Offices of Daniel E. Becnel, Jr. and the Law Offices of Ronnie G. Penton have been contacted by hundreds of people who were provided with trailer homes by FEMA and who are now suffering symptoms consistent with formaldehyde exposure.
If you or a loved one believe you may have been exposed to any toxic chemical while residing in a FEMA house trailer, please contact our office by visiting our website at www.toxicfematrailer.com or www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/toxic_fema_trailers . Free case evaluations are also available by calling Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP at 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).
On May 16, 2006, the U.S. Government stated that approximately 86,000 families are still living in FEMA house trailers across the Gulf region and more and more of them are waking up with a host of health problems according to medical experts. After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA purchased close to 102,000 house trailers at a cost of $2.6 billion. Some people waited months to get their trailers only to find out that the cheap building materials used were giving off toxic formaldehyde vapors. Many people reported not being able to stay in their trailers for more than five minutes without experiencing burning eyes, coughing, headaches, nausea or skin rashes, sinus infections, and nosebleeds.
Testing by the Sierra Club in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama indicated that 83% of the house trailers tested had formaldehyde levels above the EPA limit of 0.10 parts per million. At the time the environmental group said it found unsafe levels of formaldehyde levels in 30 out of 32 house trailers they tested. The group's sampling cast doubt on the safety of 118,000 trailers FEMA was stationing on the Gulf Coast to house people made homeless by Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005.
This past Thursday the Sierra Club issued more test results which it said clearly showed that formaldehyde emissions are a persistent problem in the trailers long after they were first moved into.
The formaldehyde is primarily contained in the particle board commonly found in trailers including areas such as walls and kitchen cabinets.
Exposure to formaldehyde fumes can cause flu-like symptoms, skin rash, headaches, difficulty breathing, asthma, coughing, burning eyes, respiratory problems and cancer. Young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to these conditions.
About Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP:
Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP is a leading products liability and personal injury law firm that represents plaintiffs nationwide. The firm has offices in New York and Jersey. Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP has assisted thousands of clients in receiving fair compensation for injuries resulting from defective products, tainted foods, medications and medical devices.
The firms above also represent thousands of individuals who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
For more information on Parker Waichman Alonso Mark LLP, please visit: www.yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).
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