The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday, January 31 that they did not find a link between 11 deaths of people and the homes they lived in with Chinese drywall that corroded metals and emitted an unpleasant odor, according to a report in Consumer Affairs. The CDC had been looking into the deaths in Louisiana, Florida, and Virginia after hundreds of homeowners complained about headaches, bloody noses, allergy-like symptoms, and dry eyes from the sulfuric acid emitted from the walls. Wires corroded and appliances were damaged in the homes constructed with the imported drywall when there was a shortage in U.S. supplies and from multiple hurricanes. The defective product may have been used as far back as 2004.
CDC investigators said the deaths investigated were among people with multiple, chronic health conditions. In Florida, the five people who died ranged in age from 60 to 86, and four had cancer, another was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and two had respiratory problems. Based on these factors and others, the CDC report said the Chinese drywall was not believed to have hastened their deaths.
Drywall Lawsuits
There is no word in this article how these findings will impact the hundreds of lawsuits that have been filed by angry homeowners who claim their health issues and corroded appliances are due to defective wallboard. In June 2010, a Miami couple won a $2.5 million verdict for damages to their home caused by the drywall made in China. The couple sued Banner Supply, a Miami-based company that provided the drywall used in their Coconut Grove home. Banner was assigned 55 percent of the blame and Knauf Plasterboard of Tianjin was assigned 35 percent of the blame, while 5 percent went to exporters and importers. The Environmental Protection Agency tests found the drywall contains sulfur not found in domestic drywall, as well as the metallic element, strontium, at 10 times the level of U.S. wallboard.
As many as 36,000 homes in Florida are affected as well as upward of 100,000 homes in Louisiana, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, and California. If your home is made with a defective product, the Florida product liability lawyers at Farah & Farah will initiate an investigation to determine how we can help you with your valid claim. Call us anywhere in Florida a 1-800-533-3555 so we can get started.
