Bragg: No connections found in infant deaths

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Posted: 11:42 a.m. Tuesday

Updated: 6:06 p.m. Tuesday

Bragg: No connections found in infant deaths

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8216281/

WRAL.com

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Fort Bragg, N.C. — Fort Bragg officials said Tuesday that they haven't yet found

any links between the deaths of 10 infants in military housing on post since the

beginning of 2007.

Col. Sicinski, garrison commander at Fort Bragg, said he called for an

in-depth investigation after two infants died in the same home in a three-month

period last year.

" When we had two infants deaths relatively back to back and also in the same

quarters, it popped off a couple of alarm bells in my head, " Sicinski said

during a news conference.

The Army Criminal Investigation Command and the Armed Forces Institute of

Pathology are assisting Fort Bragg officials to determine if faulty construction

or environmental factors played a role in any of the deaths.

The initial investigation has revealed no common factors in the deaths, said

Gray, a spokesman for the Criminal Investigative Command.

One of the babies died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but medical experts

haven't been able to determine the cause of death of seven of the babies,

officials said. The remaining two deaths remain under investigation.

Gray refused to identify where the deaths occurred, saying they involved

neighborhoods across the post and were in both new and old construction.

Officials said the home where the two infants died is vacant and will remain so

until the investigation is completed.

Shea, a manager for Picerne Military Housing, which constructs, renovates

and manages the housing on Fort Bragg, said he was " very confident " that no

Chinese-made drywall is in any of the homes on post, based on the results of

extensive testing.

Chinese drywall has been linked to numerous health and structural problems in

U.S. homes in recent years.

Sicinski said investigators have found no evidence of toxic mold in the houses,

despite anecdotal evidence from some people living on post who said they have

found mold in their homes.

" Our housing is world-class, " Brig. Gen. Garrett, chief of staff for the

XVIII Airborne Corps. " We test, we do things to a very, very high standard to

ensure that our soldiers and their families have the absolute best quarters that

we can provide them. "

Fort Bragg has almost 6,200 households, and officials said they want to keep the

investigation in perspective.

" While every death is tragic, I'll tell you, based on our preliminary

stub-pencil look at it, the rates are actually quite low, " Sicinski said.

Garrett said the Army is conducting a " full spectrum of environmental testing "

to see if experts can find anything the military can do to prevent more deaths.

He and Sicinski vowed that investigators would immediate test homes if people

feared a problem with their residence.

" This is a serous matter, " Garrett said. " I can assure you that this will

receive the personal attention of the leadership of Fort Bragg. "

Reporter: Mims

Photographer: Joyner

Web Editor: Burns