Chinese drywall death allegations should get federal evaluation, Sen. David Vitter says

Update: Investigations have found convincing evidence that the drywall releases elevated levels of toxins that can cause a number of problems within homes.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is asking two federal agencies to investigate reports of eight deaths that may be linked to use of toxic drywall from China.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said death reports are among some 2,700 complaints about bad odors and other problems with the imported drywall. According to the agency, it has found no direct evidence to support a link between the deaths and the drywall.

The death links were first reported by the Scripps Howard News Service, which filed a freedom of information request to get copies of 2,700 drywall complaints filed with the federal government.

Vitter said the matter deserves further investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"There has been significant progress in providing homeowners with steps to identify the presence of toxic drywall, and your investigations have found convincing evidence that the drywall releases elevated levels of toxins that can cause a number of problems within homes," Vitter stated in letters to the two agencies. "Still, however, many questions remain unanswered about health impacts."

Among the reports connected to homes with Chinese drywall and reported by Scripps Howard were the following:

•A 59-year-old Kenner man died July 22 from an apparent heart attack. There were reports of bad odors at his home.
•An elderly woman in New Orleans died Sept. 30 from an apparent lung condition.
•A Slidell man died Sept. 21 in his house, with a poorly performing air conditioner and corroded air conditioner coils and sockets. His 80-year-old wife experienced headaches and sinus infections.
•An 86-year-old Greenwell Springs woman died Dec. 16, and five other residents of the home complained of headaches, coughing and eye irritations.

About 2,100 homeowners from across the country are participating in national drywall litigation in New Orleans. Locally, 803 families in Louisiana have reported drywall problems to the Louisiana Recovery Authority. About 2,700 people in 38 states have reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that their homes contain bad drywall. Florida and Louisiana are believed to be the two states with the most drywall cases.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/03/chinese_drywall_death_all...