Conclusions from a broad investigation by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission presented to Ft. Bragg military officials and families found no evidence either of hazardous drywall or environmental factors linked to the deaths of three infants. This investigation confirms the results of previous analysis of Ft. Bragg homes by others which also found no link to drywall.

Studies conducted by the nationally recognized firm Environmental Health and Engineering Inc. under contract with CPSC looked at the drywall to see if it met the criteria established by CPSC and other federal agencies for identifying “problem” drywall. EH&E also studied the indoor environment and the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system to determine if possible environmental factors may have contributed to the infant deaths.

The EH&E report presents data from samples taken from two homes at Ft. Bragg where three infants died.

All chemical and physical testing and evaluation established that the drywall in the two homes studied did not contain the factors that identify problem drywall other than the time period of construction.

EH&E’s environmental testing included nearly 400 different tests conducted for fungi, metals, pesticides, organic compounds, aldehydes and volatile organic compounds in the water, air and dust. From all this testing, only the levels of two pesticides, permetherin and cypermetherin, were found to be in the high-normal range. All other pesticides were either not detectable or in the low range.

For additional findings from the Interagency Drywall Task Force’s investigation, visitwww.drywallresponse.gov.