Personal Injury Law

Warning for Georgians: Do Not Use Stand 'n Seal Sold at Home Depot in Georgia

I want to issue a warning to Do-It-Yourselfers out there, who enjoy a Saturday trip to Home Depot here in Atlanta, Georgia to find the materials they need to fix up something at the their houses and take pride in having done the job themselves. Do not purchase or use Stand 'n Seal, a sealant used to seal grout around tile. It has been proven to cause lung damage with just one use. At least 80 serious injuries, including 2 fatalities, have been linked to this dangerous product.

A tiny Georgia company, Innovative Chemical Technologies, made a chemical called Flexipel S-22WS, a dangerous ingredient in the sealant. There is evidence of a cover-up in that the manufacturer of Stand 'n Seal knew well in advance of marketing and selling the spray that the chemical in it could cause lung damage to innocent users. In another example of Corporate America putting profits over people, after becoming aware of numerous complaints about the product, Richard F. Tripodi, the manufacturer's chief executive, asked a staff member fielding calls at a 24-hour emergency number not to tell customers reporting illnesses that others had called with similar complaints, documents show. Truly reprehensible conduct.

Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission finally issued an official recall of the hazardous product, it remained on Home Depot shelves available for purchase by Home Depot customers well after the recall and well after the deadly side effect was known. It was not until March 2007, 18 months after the original recall, that Home Depot and Roanoke acknowledged the apparent source of the continuing problem.

I certainly hope Home Depot has finally pulled all Stand 'n Seal off its shelves by now so that no another innocent customer gets injured needlessly. Now these innocent vicitms have only the Civil Justice System to look to for some justice. Another horrible example of Corporate America's putting their profits over people.

Full post as published by Atlanta Injury Lawyer Blog on October 08, 2007 (boomark / email).