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Noxious Tile Sealer Stayed on Home Depot Shelves

At least two consumers died from inhaling Stand 'n Seal fumes

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 8, 2007

The Home Depot continued to sell a noxious tile sealer even after the product was recalled and the spray-on substance sent more consumers to the emergency room, according to The New York Times.

Stand 'n Seal seriously injured at least 80 people, killing at least two. The substance often would result in dizziness, wooziness, foam at the mouth, loss of consciousness and extensive lung damage.

The Home Depot and the manufacturer, BRTT, originally recalled the product in August 2005. BRTT reformulated Stand 'n Seal and without doing any comprehensive testing, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission took the manufacturer's word that the new product was safe.

But all BRTT did was give the product a pungent chemical smell, hoping to more effectively warn consumers to use the product only in a well-ventilated area.

But even the company's own tester nearly passed out while using the product in a properly ventilated atmosphere and one boy damaged 80 percent of his lungs as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom where is father was sealing tile, the Times reported.

Even after continued complaints, BRTT focused more on averting an expensive PR disaster rather than making the product safe for consumers, documents uncovered by the Times revealed.

After the recall, consumers continued to fall ill from both the original lot, which The Home Depot and BRTT failed to remove from shelves, and the new formula.

Ineffective recalls

The story highlights the CPSC's outdated testing facilities and the ineffectiveness of recalls, which critics say do little to ensure the products are actually taken off shelves.

The CPSC was unable to do substantial tests on Stand 'n Seal, agency spokeswoman Julie Vallese told the Times.

The agency's lab, which is a 1950s missile tracking site, does not have the ability to perform rigorous chemical tests, Vallese said.

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With a dwindling staff of about 400, agency officials are often unable to ensure recalled products are actually taken off store shelves, especially at dollar stores and bodegas throughout the country.

Chinese manufactured toys are often found in vending machines and at dollar stores years after a recall. Therefore, the CPSC relies on consumers to read about their recalls through the media and to be educated shoppers.

While ConsumerAffairs.com reports on every recall and makes its reports available indefinitely, newspapers and broadcasters cover recalls only sporadically.

What to do

Alan Korn, director of public policy at Kids Safe, a nonprofit that aims to protect children from harmful products, said that stores should follow the procedure established by Toys 'R' Us.

When a product is recalled, Toys 'R' Us raises its price to $9,999.00, ensuring that no one inadvertently buys it.

Korn also said the CPSC needs to broaden its field inspector office to perform more spot checks at stores and he suggested consumers should subscribe to the CPSC's email recall warnings.

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