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Feds Hoping China Will Smooth Over Drywall Damage

Contaminated drywall tops the agenda at U.S.-China 'safety summit'

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 21, 2009

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U.S. safety regulators are in China this week, hoping the Chinese will agree to help pay for the billions of dollars damage to American homes blamed on contaminated drywall.

Inez Tenebaum, chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said she also hopes to discuss whether there should be regulatory standards for drywall composition. Tenebaum is in China for a biennial "safety summit" intended to prevent future widespread product safety problems like those that resulted in massive recalls of lead-contaminated toys a few years ago.

The CPSC and other federal agencies have been under pressure from Congress to complete its long-running investigation of the drywall problem, which some estimates say may have caused as much as $25 billion in damages to American homes.

The problem was originally blamed on a shortage of American-manufactured drywall, ostensibly due to the housing boom and extensive construction in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Recently, however, suspicions have arisen that the problem dates back further. Some Florida experts have suggested that the defective drywall was installed as early as 2004.

Bad batch of gypsum

Some Chinese researchers have said the problem resulted from bad batches of gypsum and they deny the contamination was widespread.

Homeowners have complained of headaches, dry eyes, and bloody noses, among other allergy-like symptoms. The contaminated drywall is also said to damage pipes, heating ducts and other household essentials. Some homeowners have had to abandon their homes and some members of Congress are calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance.

The courts have been papered with drywall suits, Congress has held hearings and some city councils have voted to ban Chinese drywall.

The Chinese Drywall Complaint Center, organized by a group known as America's Watchdog, claims previous estimates of damage are much too conservative. It says there may be more than 150,000 contaminated homes in Florida alone.

"The nation, President Obama, Congress and the national TV networks have no clue how big the toxic Chinese drywall problem is. Unless the nation comes to grips with the magnitude of the issue, help will not arrive in time," the organization said in a press release.

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