 Formaldehyde was known to increase risk of cancer, asthma and other respiratory problems, and children and the elderly were at greater risk.As of 2008, FEMA was reported to have received 11,000 health complaints.Scientists suspected that the rush to produce large numbers of trailers might have caused manufacturers to cut corners—using low-cost or poorly prepared materials such as glues and pressed wood in construction of the trailers, and resulting in high levels of formaldehyde emissions.