WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance subcommittee hearing today on Health and Product Safety Issues Associated with Imported Drywall.

Witness List

The Honorable Mary Landrieu, United States Senator, Louisiana

Panel I

Ms. Lori Saltzman, Division Director, Office of Health Sciences
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Dr. Michael McGeehin, Division Director, National Center for Environmental Health
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Ms. Elizabeth Southerland, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Superfund Remediation and
Technology Innovation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. David Krause, State Toxicologist, Florida Department of Health

Mr. Richard J. Kampf, Florida Homeowner

Mr. Randy Noel, President, Reve, Incorporated

Key Quotes From Today’s Hearing

“A house is a substantial investment for any family.  But even more than that, it is a place where people should feel safe, where dreams are made and great memories secured forever.  For homeowners who have discovered tainted drywall surrounds their everyday – their dreams have become a nightmare.  Families have seen their investments plummet, their health endangered and their worries escalate.  It is time that those responsible for this injustice are held accountable.”
Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee

“In reviewing complaints against Chinese drywall we are grappling with a potentially dangerous embedded product – built into the very fiber of hundreds of family homes.  Apartments, homes and even mansions built with some Chinese drywall may be making the residents sick rather than providing a place of home sanctuary. This crisis is a double threat to home owners as it destroys the value of a family’s largest investment.”   
Chairman Mark Pryor, Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance Subcommittee

“While I understand the need to be thorough and build a case that might stand up to future legal scrutiny, families in my state need answers now.  Parents caring for sick children or pets need answers, workers removing these products from homes need to know potential health risks, and local health officials need to know what environmental impact may occur if this drywall is dumped into landfills.”
Senator Mary Landrieu, D-LA

“It is important that our scientists carefully determine how the reported symptoms may be related to the drywall as opposed to other environmental factors or pollutants in the home. In this regard, we are aggressively conducting a scientific investigation and researching scientific literature and reports for evidence which could link the identified chemical emissions from the drywall chamber testing and in-home air sampling to the reported health complaints.”
Ms. Lori Saltzman, Division Director, Office of Health Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

“CDC will collaborate with the other federal agencies and with the states in driving a rapid, coordinated, appropriate, and effective public health response. We are likely to continue to be involved with a range of activities, including defining the type and extent of the hazard, educating the public and various health and environmental professionals about the potential hazard and how to avoid it, and working with partners (including regulatory agencies) to develop appropriate policy responses.”
Dr. Michael McGeehin, Division Director, National Center for Environmental Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“CPSC is currently designing a series of chamber tests to evaluate “off-gases” derived when drywall samples from a variety of U.S. and Chinese manufacturers are exposed to varying temperature and humidity. EPA expects a joint federal-state agreed upon air monitoring protocol to be completed by the end of June 2009.”
Ms. Elizabeth Southerland, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

“First we must validate the estimated amount of Chinese made drywall imported during the period in question. How these estimates were derived are uncertain, and could grossly over or under estimate the number of potentially effected homes.”
Dr. David Krause, State Toxicologist, Florida Department of Health

“He explained that the corrosion caused by sulphur, once started, continues even if the contaminated drywall is removed. Try to imagine how many products used in your daily lives contain copper? Mr. Kollatte also said the corrosion is not limited to just copper. Again, we thought, if it’s doing this to copper and other metals, what’s it doing to our lungs?”
Mr. Richard J. Kampf, Florida Homeowner

“It is imperative that research continue to determine whether there is a viable solution short of full removal and replacement of all of a home’s existing drywall. Further, the remodelers in our membership are also interested in determining the best remediation strategy for homes in which only a portion of the drywall is identified as problematic.”
Mr. Randy Noel, President, Reve, Incorporated

###