The deaths of eleven people in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia were not caused by Chinese drywall, a CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) report announced today. According to the CDC, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) and the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, there is absolutely no evidence which associates the deaths with problem drywall.

The CDC says its review confirms previous review results carried out by the CPSC, which failed to find a link.

The CPSC had requested that the CDC carry out this latest review. Researchers examined all the investigations carried out by state public health authorities of the medical records of the 11 individuals who had died after either living in or visiting homes with problem drywall.

Problem drywall was found not to be a contributory factor towards those 11 people’s premature deaths. This latest review is limited to just those 11 people, the CDC stresses.

The CPSC’s investigation into problem drywall is nearing its final stages. The CDC has been asked to carry out a thorough study of any potential long-term health effects caused by drywall. The researchers wrote in the latest review:

“In summary, in the judgments of the medical authorities who reviewed these cases, exposure to imported drywall was not believed to be a contributing factor to these 11 deaths.”

Drywall, or gypsum board or plasterboard is a gypsum plaster panel which is pressed between two thick sheets of paper. It is generally used when making interior ceilings and walls. US media report that a considerable number of homes in America used defective imported drywall from China – this was incorporated into thousands of homes after Hurricane Katrina. Residents have complained of a foul smell, corrosion of metal within structures, and unpleasant health effects.

“Summary of State Health Department Reviews of Deaths Reported to and Investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission Related to Exposure to Imported Drywall”
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects National Center for Environmental Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Written by Christian Nordqvist