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Nov 30, 2005 1:02 am US/Mountain
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Family Says Father Died After Using Tile Sealant
by Rick Sallinger
DENVER (CBS4) ―
At least two families have claimed their loved ones died after using a tile sealant that CBS4 first investigated last summer.
The Kayser family in Iowa said they plan on filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Home Depot and the Roanoke Companies, the maker of Tile Perfect Stand 'n Seal.
Relatives said Tom Kayser was building his dream house overlooking a river and right in the middle of eastern Iowa's Amish country.
Kayser, 64, was a retired machinist and firefighter. His son said he was putting the finishing touches on the home and was using the Stand 'n Seal product to seal the ceramic tile grout.
"He didn't have to bend down and do 500 square feet on his knees or bend on his back," said John Kayser, Tom's son.
Tom was using the product for an hour and a half with the windows open when he started experiencing problems. His sons said the doctors had no doubt what caused the health problems.
"He puts this spray on, that night he can't breathe and the doctors ruled out every other possibility," John said.
For nearly a month, Tom fought for his life, but eventually died on September 16.
"He just gradually got worse and worse, said Joe Kayser, Tom's other son. "He just never got any better."
The Stand 'n Seal sealant was purchased at Home Depot which sells it exclusively.
Edward Demattee of Colorado Springs spent three days in an induced coma after being overcome while using Stand 'n Seal.
"I think we all think about how we would die and that never occurred to me something as innocent as using a spray product from Home Depot. I never thought it would affect me this way," Demattee said. "I was pretty scared."
Demattee's doctors linked his health problems to the sealant.
Back in Iowa, this will be the first holiday season the Kayser brothers will have without their father.
"We don't want to see anyone else go through what we did because it's miserable," John said. The family has since placed a memorial for their father by the entrance of the house.
"It's tragic and should have never happened. I lost my best friend," said Marcia Henderson, Tom's friend who helped him build the house. She said she passes by it everyday.
Nearly 100 lawsuits have been filed by people who have said Stand 'n Seal has left them with on-going medical issues.
In August, Tile Perfect and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 300,000 cans which they said were improperly manufactured. In spite of the recall, new batches of the product remain on store shelves.
Roanoke Companies said the contract manufacturer failed to put in a required odor in the recalled batches to warn of overuse.
They said the can clearly warns users. Since the recall, the company has added 'avoid breathing vapors' to the front of the can.
Red letters on the back now intentionally say 'inhaling contents may be harmful or fatal', but the can still reads 'harmlessly evaporates'.
A government required document from the maker recommends a respirator with prolonged use, but there is no reference to that on the can or the display.
An additional warning was placed on the cap when it became known people around the country were ending up in hospital emergency rooms after using the sealant.
Additional Resources
- The maker of Stand N Seal issued the following statement:
We are deeply concerned by any harm that may have been sustained by users of Stand 'N Seal, and are actively investigating any reports we receive. With approval from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in late August we voluntarily recalled a small number of production batches of Stand 'N Seal that were made by our contract manufacturer with a less pungent chemical odor than is specified. This unapproved change in raw materials produced product that lacked the strong odor that warns users to avoid breathing vapors - - a warning that is clearly stated on the label. The product now available at retailers is the correct original formula.
Consumer Product Safety Commission statement:
CPSC acted quickly to work with Tile Perfect on a recall of this product after 28 consumers experienced adverse reactions- including difficulty breathing, dizziness and disorientation- due to overexposure to fumes. Tile Perfect recalled 300,000 cans of Stand 'n Seal "Spray On" Grout Sealer in August. It is important that consumers not use the recalled product. It is premature to comment on new allegations involving this product.
(Copyright © MMV CBS Television Stations, Inc.)