Bentonville Personal Injury Lawyer - Toxic Substances

Cheap Drywall May Cause Health Problems

Ryan Scott — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:50:01 GMT

According to the Associated Press, at the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap.

That decision has cost many homeowners money... and now, according to AP research, it could be costing them their health. Brian Skoloff of Associated Press reports that dozens of homeowners in the Southeast have sued builders, suppliers and manufacturers, claiming the very walls around them are emitting smelly sulfur compounds that are poisoning their families and rendering their homes uninhabitable.

A Florida Department of Health analysis found the Chinese drywall emits “volatile sulfur compounds,” and contains traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce the rotten-egg odor and reacts with air to corrode metals and wires. But the agency says on its Website that it “has not identified data suggesting an imminent or chronic health hazard at this time.”

However, Dr. Patricia Williams, a University of New Orleans toxicologist said she has identified highly toxic compounds in the drywall, including hydrogen sulfide, sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide and carbon disulfide. Prolonged exposure to the compounds, especially high levels of carbon disulfide, can cause breathing problems, chest pains and even death; and can affect the nervous system, according to the CDC.

Proven, or not, I doubt that many homeowners and potential home buyers would feel comfortable sleeping with their family in a home that could be a toxic prison.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ryan Scott

How Our Current Administration Loves Phthalates

Frank Bailey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:16:02 GMT

According to a lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., and Public Citizen, Inc. against the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), chemicals known as phthalates are used to soften plastics in children’s toys and other common consumer products. These chemicals are known to interfere with production of the hormone testosterone and have been associated with reproductive abnormalities. Numerous studies have linked exposure to certain phthalates with decreases in testosterone, malformations of the genitalia, and reduced sperm production, among other adverse effects.

In the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, enacted on August 14, 2008, Congress permanently banned the manufacture, sale, distribution, and import of all child care articles and children’s toys containing more than 0.1 percent of any of three different phthalates.

The General Counsel for the CPSC now has given the opinion that the ban does not apply to any toy or child care product manufactured before the effective date of February 10, 2009. This decision by the CPSC authorizes sale of banned children’s products after the statute’s effective date, despite Congress’s clear prohibition on any sale after that date.

The basic purpose of the CPSA is to ensure consumer protection. It appears this purpose has been thwarted.

In a letter dated November 13, 2008, on behalf of unnamed clients, counsel at the law firm Arent Fox LLP , Georgia C. Ravitz and Scott A. Cohn, asked the CPSC to “consider not applying the phthalates restrictions retroactively to inventory as of February 10, 2009.

Amazingly, in a decision published two business days later, on November 17, 2008, the CPSC General Counsel agreed.

By permitting sale of banned products after the date of the statutory ban, the General Counsel has contradicted Congress’s clear intent.

In reliance on this decision, manufacturers of children’s toys and child care articles may continue to manufacture and stockpile products containing the restricted phthalates now and sell them long after the ban on sale goes into effect in February.

This is yet another example of how the Bush administration is looking after Corporate America at the expense of our children's safety.

I urge you to contact your representatives and ask them to join Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein along with Representatives Henry A. Waxman and Jan Schakowsky in forcing the CPSC to withdraw this decision.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Vinyl Shower Curtains Emit Toxic Chemicals

Drew Dixon — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:22:36 GMT

Vinyl shower curtains sold at many major retail stores across the country have been linked to serious health problems because they emit toxic chemicals. Researchers at Center for Health, Environment, and Justice found that the curtains contained high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory, and reproductive systems.

The researchers tested the chemical composition of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, plastic shower curtains bought from Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. The study found that PVC shower curtains contained high concentrations of phthalates and varying concentrations of organotins. One of the curtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108 volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persisted for nearly a month.

Seven of these chemicals -- toluene, ethylbenzene, phenol, methyl isobutyl ketone, xylene, acetophenone and cumene -- have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants.

The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice has notified 19 major retailers of their findings and encouraged them to stop selling the PVC shower curtains.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Drew Dixon

Twister Hits Toxic Town in Oklahoma

Sach Oliver — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:03:48 GMT

The Picher, Oklahoma tornado was one of several that combined to kill 26 people in the Midwest and the South, raising the nation's 2008 total to about 100, the worst toll in a decade.

In Picher, the devastation was complicated by the town's status as one of the most polluted Superfund sites in the nation. But Miles Tolbert, the Oklahoma secretary of the environment, said he did not think there was an immediate public health hazard to the 800 residents. He did say more testing is needed to be certain.

Long term exposure to lead dust poses a health risk, particularly to young children.

A tornado with the second-strongest rating killed seven people, destroyed a 20-block area and blew dust off mountains of mining waste, or chat piles.

"You can look at the chat piles and see that a lot of the material has blown off," said John Sparkman, head of the Picher housing authority.

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, who toured the area by air and on foot Sunday, said the buyout program won't stop just because homes were leveled. He went so far as to say he would "guarantee" that those awaiting buyouts who lost their homes would be treated fairly. "We will make sure the people get the assistance they need," Henry said.

Because of Picher's Superfund status, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is unlikely to grant assistance to homeowners to rebuild in the town, said Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Sach Oliver