CPSC study confirms homeowner's worst fears about Chinese drywall
Filed under: Home, Real Estate, Health
A study of 51 homes released this week by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found a strong association between homes with Chinese-made drywall and levels corrosive hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a smell similar to rotten eggs.
It was the largest investigation ever taken on by the CPSC, costing $3.5 million and involving 15% of the staff, according to the CPSC.
CPSC has received more than 2,000 complaints from homeowners in 32 states, reporting that their health had been adversely affected by odors given off by the suspect material. Victims also reported blackening or corrosion of metal in their homes, including electrical wiring, appliances and air conditioning systems. The complaints stem from homes built largely in 2006 and 2007, following an unexpected demand for building materials spurred on by the destructive hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005.
By confirming the corrosive effects of the Chinese sourced drywall, the CPSC hopes to develop protocols that will identify homes with the problem material and determine effective remediation methods. "Ongoing studies will examine health and safety effects, but we are now ready to get to work fixing this problem,"CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a press release.
To date though, the CPSC states it remains difficult to estimate the total number of homes that contain the toxic drywall and recently reached out to the governors of all 50 states to assemble the fullest possible accounting. Together with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CPSC is also monitoring imports and believes no new Chinese drywall has entered the United States in 2009.
What to do if you suspect your house has Chinese drywall
If you have reason to believe that your home was built with Chinese drywall, the CPSC recommends you take the following four steps:
- If you are suffering from the health symptoms described as common to the reports of exposure to problem drywall, please consult your physician as soon as possible. If you experience any of the electrical or fire safety concerns described as common to the reports of exposure to problem drywall, please consult your local gas or electric supplier and a licensed electrician or building inspector as soon as possible.
- Contact your State and local authorities to report your concerns and get direction on any help or resources in your area.
- Report your concerns to the CPSC using this form.
- Consider contacting your insurance company and homebuilder to report your concerns.
For more information on the problem and to monitor ongoing progress in the investigation, go to the CPSC's Drywall Information Center.
Tom Kraeutler reports on toxic black mold and other home repair issues each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program. He is also AOL's Home Improvement Editor and author of "My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
11-28-2009 @ 2:29PM
Jim in AR said...
When are our worthless politicians going to close the borders to Chinese crap that kills our dogs, smells up our homes, and destroys American jobs? I will vote for any politician who promises to pay off the Chinese debt and close the borders to their overpriced junk. Enough is enough!
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11-28-2009 @ 2:38PM
Ted said...
China owns much of the US debt. All they need to is start flying that blood-red rag over the Capitol building to show us who our "masters" are, Sigh
11-28-2009 @ 3:34PM
vaughnvdg said...
We have none other than DUMBYA BUSH to thank for this since he LOVED so called FREE TRADE with CHINA and their TAINTED PRODUCTS all in the name of CAPITALISM.
11-28-2009 @ 5:30PM
mary melcher said...
Enough? I think not. Americans cannot get enough of cheap cheap cheap----Walmart, defective products, dead babies---what the hey! Was everything CHEAP enough? That's the only real question to Americans..
11-29-2009 @ 7:26AM
Gee said...
Amen to that! They make crap and sell it to it's biggest idiotic importer, the good old US of A. NAFTA did us in real good. We need to learn from tha Japanese. Even after almost being totally obliterated as a people they came back to make some of the best quality products in the world. We can come back and make quality products again especially automobiles. We learned our lesson from choosing greed over quality cars in the 70's because we lost the car market to the Japanese. We've made all the bad mistakes to now make all the right choices and rebuild our economy. Chinese made stuff is crap, pure crap.
11-28-2009 @ 7:41PM
Tracy said...
vaughnvdg, can you please explain how we have Obama to thank for the drywall installed largely between 2006 and 2007?
11-28-2009 @ 7:38PM
j said...
This IS how the US is repaying their debt to China, by allowing dangerously inferior products to be imported!!
11-28-2009 @ 2:27PM
geneskillet4 said...
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11-28-2009 @ 2:32PM
Michele said...
Chinese drywall? I've got ceilings, siding and insulation made from good ol' USA produced ASBESTOS. And it was installed after the dangers were known. I can't even find anyone to remove it. The cable guy took one look and wouldn't even drill into the wall. And I can't use my well water because a local chemical company buried toxic waste and now we're a superfund site. We don't need to look overseas for toxic villains. We have plenty right here.
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11-28-2009 @ 2:35PM
rissob75 said...
Thank you capitolism!! While so many are crying about socialism, Which don't get me wrong. I'm not for bigger government. This is what greedy corporations with the backing of grovernment gets you. Let's be honest here. We send a lot of work overseas to get in return a poor product. Not so these companys can drasticlly lower the price of their product, but so they can maximize their profit. And your trusting so called non-socialism government members support this. Wake up people, The true socialism are these capitolists who gain power thru major private owned businesses like banks, health care, oil companines, insurance companies, and major import-export businesses, who in turn run your lives.
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11-28-2009 @ 7:58PM
Thomas Boyette said...
You don't think the poor people in communist China aren't getting stuck with the same drywall? Americans should avoid Chinese products for two reasons: they're dangerous and China is our enemy. Apart from that, there is nothing wrong with getting the most for your money. If only the best building materials were used and every house was built perfectly, there would be a lot of homeless because few people could afford a home. Since you hate capitalism, you should leave America while you are still free to.
11-28-2009 @ 2:44PM
guy said...
Just another way Asia is "beating" us. Those bastards can't win a war against us, so they'll infect us with disease and destruction.
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11-28-2009 @ 2:47PM
OffRoad2224 said...
that's what you cheap SOB's get, buy American next time..
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11-28-2009 @ 2:51PM
John said...
EVERYONES OWN GREED IS TO BLAME,NOT CAPITALISM.If we would behave the way our founding fathers intended problems like these would not happen.Carry yourself with pride and set a good example in EVERTHING you do! (and by the way communists with make things FAR WORSE!)
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11-28-2009 @ 4:05PM
Ron said...
Communists do make things far worse. What in hell do you think these Chinese people are that we get all this poisonous garbage from? Hello people. The Chinese that are making the wonderful chaep and toxic product you buy ARE COMMUNISTS. Kind of looks like the United States IS supporting Communism. Well the republicans are all for capitalism and that is what you get. The corporate mucky mucks make big bucks and you get toxic products. Guess people see this as a fair trade off.
11-28-2009 @ 2:55PM
RALPH said...
HEY EVERYBODY,, THINK ABOUT THIS !!! LOOK AT ALL THE JUNK COMING FROM CHINA, LEAD, ECT AND NOW DRY-WALL. WHATS THIS TELLEN YOU ? THEY ARE POISONING US,
YOU BUNCH OF DUMBIES !! WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE ITS TO LATE OR IT MAY ALREADY BE TO LATE !!
THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER AMERICA VERY SHORTLY !!!! AND WE ALL WILL BE DEAD FROM THERE POISON !!!!!
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11-28-2009 @ 3:07PM
brum said...
At least I'm not spending as much. I look at almost everything I intend to buy and if it does not say USA on it, I leave it. I even read a bottle of APPLE JUICE at Sam's Club, made from concentrate from China, no way, I looked around, USA also grows apples. As a good ole boy conservative, I generously pass the blame around for this BS. We blame the democrats, blame the Republicans, blame the union, blame W, bulls*it, blame ourselves, we buy it. Stop buying the imports. When there is no market for it, they will stop sending it here. Very simple, case closed. "BUY AMERICAN."
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11-28-2009 @ 5:08PM
mark said...
BRUM, you are absolutely right! people trying to save a few cents support that communist country. BUY AMERICAN!!! when you buy what your neighbor sells and they buy what you sell, WE HAVE MORE JOBS! think about it.
11-28-2009 @ 3:13PM
FEED UP YANK! said...
THIS IS ONLY THE START OF THE STUFF THAT IS OF O PERCENT QUALITY COMPARED TO USA MADE ITEMS,THE MOLD INDUSTY HAS SUFFERED WITH JUNK,THE MEATAL IS OF THE WORST GRADE IMAGINEABLE THAT IS BEING USED IN ARE COUNTRY FROM ALL COUNTRYS THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO HELP KILL ARE WORK FORCE!!!!!!! BY THE TIME THIS COUNTRY SEES THE DAMAGE FROM ALL THESES OUTSIDE MATERIALS WE WILL BE IN DEEP UNFIXABLE DISAPEAR,FROM BUILDINGS TO AUTOMOBILE STRUCTURE FAILURES AT THE COST OF AMERICAN LIVES AND THE PEOPLE WHO SOLD US OUT WILL NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! BUT HAY,WE WILL HAVE A EQUAL GLOBAL WORK FORCE THAT DONT MAKE A DIME AND CANT AFFORD A THING!!
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11-28-2009 @ 3:23PM
Kathy Handyside said...
A simple solution to all these problems caused by Chinese-made cr*p is to force our corporations to shut down their plants in China and bring those manufacturing jobs back here. It's ridiculous how our corporations have turned the U.S. into an outpost of China! We may as well change our country's name to the United States of China. I'm sick of seeing "Made in China" on EVERYTHING I pick up in the store! We're being poisoned AND impoverished by China. Enough is enough!
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