CDC: No link between deaths and Chinese drywall

By CAIN BURDEAU,Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it has found no link between tainted Chinese drywall and the deaths of 11 people exposed to the imported drywall in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia homes.

The CDC said in a report Monday that the people died without exception due to "preexisting chronic health conditions unrelated to imported drywall exposure."

The findings by the Atlanta-based health agency back up previous findings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Large quantities of defective Chinese-made drywall were imported during a past housing boom and after a string of Gulf Coast hurricanes five years ago. The drywall has been linked to corrosion in thousands of homes, mostly in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

The CDC found that seven of the 11 people who died had cancer and seven had heart problems. For the review, state medical examiners and the CDC probed 10 deaths in Louisiana and Florida — five in each state — and a single death in Virginia.

The deaths were reported to regulators as possibly being linked to drywall.

Still, federal regulators say the health risk of Chinese drywall remains a concern.

Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the safety commission, said "hundreds, if not thousands" of homeowners have reported problems with nosebleeds, respiratory problems and other symptoms that could possibly be linked to Chinese drywall.

Investigators have found a possible "synergistic effect" between hydrogen sulfide emitted from the Chinese boards and the typical traces of formaldehyde found in many homes that "can come together" to cause problems, Wolfson said.

On Monday, the safety commission asked the CDC to do a long-range study of exposure to Chinese drywall.

The CDC did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Regulators also are studying the fire risk Chinese drywall poses. Because the drywall causes corrosion, experts have said electrical wiring, fire alarms and fire sprinklers might not work properly.