Faulty Chinese drywall causes corrosion, federal study says

[Rey C.]

Having built a house in the last three years, and recently noting a foul smell in one of the rooms (which I attributed to a faulty vent pipe), I'm now a bit concerned.

Has anyone else here built, remodeled or a bought a new house within the past few years?

The conclusion followed testing at 51 homes in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia that found "a strong association between the problem drywall, the hydrogen sulfide levels in homes with that drywall and corrosion in those homes.''

The agency cautioned that not all Chinese drywall is a source of problems.

``Not all drywall is alike,'' said Jack McCarthy, president of Environmental Health & Engineering, which conducted the testing for CPSC. ``Not all Chinese drywall is alike. It depends on what it's made of -- not the country it came from.''

CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said the agency is ``not limited in the scope of our investigation to just Chinese drywall.''

To date, the CPSC has received 2,091 complaints reports from residents in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components are related to Chinese drywall. The majority of those -- more than 1,400 -- are from Florida residents.

Faulty Chinese drywall causes corrosion, federal study says

 

[Facial_King]

Federal study, schmederal study!!! Who cares what Obama's BIG BROTHER GOVERNMENT says!!! What do the companies making the drywall have to say?? I'm sure that, as participants in the wondrous Free Market they wouldn't risk their long-term viability for the sake of short-term profits, nor would they knowingly make something faulty or hazardous. Companies just don't do that sort of thing!

What we need is to get Big Government OUT of things, and just let the companies take care of themselves... and us!

Down with government regulations and tyranny!!! Beck-Palin 2012!!!!

(etc., etc.)

 

[AFA]

Well, the drywall in question comes from China and the reason it does is because the US company importing it made a lot more money. Forget about the jobs lost, I had a good friend who worked for a leading drywall maker in the US who lost his job some years ago when the plant closed. That was a direct result of big companies doing what they wanted, in pursuit of greater profits.

What this has to do with Obama, I can't quite figure out. :dunno:

A good story on PBS was a followup to the Secret Life of Credit Card, called The Card Game showed what has happened to the banks, and huge profits made on formerly illegal interest rates and fees on cards. If you remember, the banking fiasco and TARP bank bailouts were the last act of the Bush administration, who were known to be bank friendly.

Here are some figures from the NY Times in millions of dollars as to who got what, before Obama, (and clearly pushed through by some in the Bush administration who received huge salaries during their prior banking careers). I just screamed at the TV that it was very unfair and shouldn't go through

http://projects.nytimes.com/creditcrisis/recipients/table

With that in mind, I could easily see why some people would think the banks are burning them now, and that the banks need more regulation.

Sorry to hear you have that problem Rey. I've heard about the problem locally and it is a disaster.

 

[D-rock]

Oh man, isn't all that capitalism, globalization, the free market, and the race to the bottom they all inspire just great?

 

[Facetious]

Federal study, schmederal study!!! Who cares what Obama's BIG BROTHER GOVERNMENT says!!! What do the companies making the drywall have to say?? I'm sure that, as participants in the wondrous Free Market they wouldn't risk their long-term viability for the sake of short-term profits, nor would they knowingly make something faulty or hazardous. Companies just don't do that sort of thing!

What we need is to get Big Government OUT of things, and just let the companies take care of themselves... and us!

Down with government regulations and tyranny!!! Beck-Palin 2012!!!!

(etc., etc.)

Nowhere did Rey give any indication that he wanted to delve into politics, did he ?
At least offer something immediately constructive to the tread before mouthing off about Palin and the evil free market. :rolleyes
:

Drywall investigation expands into US products
AP

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A federal probe of tainted Chinese drywall has broadened because a small number of homeowners are reporting that American-made drywall is causing some of the same problems: a sickening, sulfurous stench and corroded pipes and wiring.

"We are not limited in the scope of our investigation to just Chinese drywall," said Scott Wolfson, spokesman for the Consumer Products Safety Commission, which is conducting the largest investigation in its history after thousands of homeowners complained and filed lawsuits.

More

 

[nylo]

Fortunately I living in FLA, my townhome is made of cement and stone and its older so I don't think I'll find this type of crap. But it is a concern..

This is what happens when corporations are allowed to run wild with no regulation of any kind (thank you Ronald Reagan for that...you motherfucker.) So what happens, jobs get outsourced, job loss and then we have inferior products because it is A FACT that this garbage that is made in China has absolutely no quality control whatsoever. Meanwhile we have to suffer because those corporate fat cat motherfuckers that have to "save money" all in the name of making sure that their bonus's get fatter and fatter while people are out of work and etc. These are the same fucking people that drag companies down to ruin, the government so gloriously bales them out. And these fuckers get fucking more bonus's and then we have to deal with possible health hazards because the Chinese made garbage just continually gets through. And for as much as people like to blame Obama for this shit, this was going on way before he got in office. But it's just business as usual and I am not surprised in the least of this type of BULLSHIT that is going on.

 

[Facetious]

In the "olden days" drywall was mfgd exclusively with Gypsum but, somewhere along the line (and you may do some independent research on this) it had been determined that a Cellulose + Gypsum blend of materials offered better "R" or insulation values than did pure Gypsum board. Well, as it turns out, cellulose decomposes over time. Bad idea ! I don't know if this is related to your specific problem, but it might be.

I'd definitely get a specimen / remnant of this sheetrock used in the construction of your home and get it to a test lab for evaluation. :2 cents:
The sooner the better.

I wish for you the best.

 

[AFA]

Fortunately I living in FLA, my townhome is made of cement and stone and its older so I don't think I'll find this type of crap. But it is a concern...

Because of the massive building boom in Florida in the 2000's to date, Chinese drywall use is a major problem there as it was used by some of the biggest US builders and is constantly on the news. Although houses are typically block construction, the drywall in the interiors not only smells as it decays, the sulphur content is destructive to electrical wiring making it a major insurance claim.

 

[minidog]

Because of the massive building boom in Florida in the 2000's to date, Chinese drywall use is a major problem there as it was used by some of the biggest US builders and is constantly on the news. Although houses are typically block construction, the drywall in the interiors not only smells as it decays, the sulphur content is destructive to electrical wiring making it a major insurance claim.

here in the UK ive only ever seen British Gypsum,never heard of it smelling or rotting only of course if it gets wet,its cheap n so fast been erected

whats block construction??

 

[Rey C.]

I've done some updates since the house was built. So I do have a few pieces of drywall that I can send for testing. My uncle told me about this issue yesterday. I looked it up today. I'll be calling the builder and the State Corporation Commission on Monday. Hopefully I'll find that I'm not affected. But if I am, I guess I'll be part of a class action suit (which always turn out to be little more than a giant pay day for the lawyers).

To actually correct the issue, if I am affected, I really have no idea just now. I have a lot of experience with the building trades and real estate. But worst case, this could involve totally gutting the entire interior of the house... every single room!

This is definitely something that needs to be looked into more seriously and corrected ASAP. One report I read said that as many as 100K homes across the U.S. could be affected - I just hope that mine isn't one of them.

 

[titsrock]

This is a national problem which appears to have Florida and the South as Ground Zero. I'm certain California and Las Vegas are next, right?

It does represent a problem of lack of federal AND state oversight.

However, it is merely the latest example of our nation trading our SAFETY for CHEAP PRICES. Chinese manufactured pet food, tooth paste, car parts, heck...take a look at this list for 2007 alone :eek:
http://www.who-sucks.com/business/made-in-china-2007-danger-timeline

 

[AFA]

here in the UK ive only ever seen British Gypsum,never heard of it smelling or rotting only of course if it gets wet,its cheap n so fast been erected

whats block construction??

Cement blocks assembled like Lego's and then covered with a thin layer of stucco cement. I don't know if it's used much in the UK, but here is common in strip mall commercial buildings. In Florida and other hurricane prone states, doesn't suffer from humidity damage, high winds or termites as does stick construction.

Pictures;

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...mage_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CBsQ9QEwAw

http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/DAC-ART/images/hoodsinside.jpg

Pictures and a story;

http://www.texasmusicforge.com/gimmeshelter44.html

 

[Rey C.]

whats block construction??

Typically, cinderblocks. But most often, even with block or brick base construction, the interior walls will be covered with drywall - if not in above ground living areas, where some people like exposed brick, stone or stucco, then certainly in kitchens and bathrooms you'll see drywall.

Edit: AFA is fast on the trigger.

 

[minidog]

that stuff looks expensive:eek:

drywall is all they use here so cheap and fast

tin it out put one side up let the other trades in,complete the job

the money is in taping it,can you believe that
team of dryallers
team of tapers(put like a mesh tape over the joints)
then the plasterers

they do skim the drywall in the US?

 

[AFA]

The block is on the exterior walls only, and probably competes well with stick construction for cost, although the cost of concrete can go up and down as well.

 

[minidog]

we call it breeze block,cheap n soooooo easy to chip out for cable runs lol,used on exterior,but 99% of interior walls are drywall,you can poop and the walls shake
not complaining,new builds are easier to wire than say a pre war house when you hit the chisel it bounces

 

[Facetious]

Well, the drywall in question comes from China and the reason it does is because the US company importing it made a lot more money. Forget about the jobs lost, I had a good friend who worked for a leading drywall maker in the US who lost his job some years ago when the plant closed. That was a direct result of big companies doing what they wanted, in pursuit of greater profits.

I'm as opposed to offshoring / outsourcing as any conscientious working American, but is greed singularly the only reason for why corporations offshore ? Look at the ever growing regulatory, questionable environmental and tax constraints (amongst the highest corp taxes in the world) that our entirely wasteful government imposes upon American manufacturers, of course businesses are looking for options, they have much to recover.

Today, the politicians are as wealthy as ever it would seem, all at a time when The People are the most strained since the great depression. Where's the accountability on part of the gumment ? We want to hold corporations responsible, but why not government ?

I think there's plenty of room for "change" - better checks & balances and tort reforms just to name a few, but the direction the president & czars are taking this country will only chase off the few remaining domestic manufacturing resources we have (this in itself has caused some national security concerns btw). Who want's to pay exorbitant amounts of taxes to a government republican or democratic, that squanders it ? The government has nothing to show for the revenues they receive with the exception of fancy suits & nice smiles, more power, more influence etc ad nauseam. :hammer:

 

[titsrock]

^
Circular logic = weak argument strategy

Most people are saying that we have no oversight to protect us from dangerous products. You say that there's too much taxation and regulation and these companies are just reacting to that. So, in neither case, we, the consumers, will ever be safe?

Free market capitalism does not work when the consumer is put at risk. Or, if that's the darkside of free market capitalism, than who wants to live with that threat?

We're talking about millions of peoples' homes are going to be rendered unsafe/disaster areas. People's homeowners insurance policies don't cover replacing this drywall.

If people can't trust the products that are used to construct their home, at what point is the market incapable of functioning?

Yes, the government must share part of the blame, but American corporations must bear the brunt of the blame in this specific case. I'm sure that American Companies will claim that the Chinese gov't and Chinese businesses don't disclose anything, but that is not an acceptable excuse either.

 

[StanScratch]

There was quite the scare about this more than a year ago - I work in a home improvement store, and for quite a while, we had people expressing concerns that our drywall came from the same area (it did not).
In fact, I am thinking a lot of it had been used in New Orleans to rebuild after the hurricane. It was only a couple of years later that it was realized exactly how bad and dangerous the drywall was.

 

[Facetious]

^
Circular logic = weak argument strategy

Weak argument strategy just like those horribly greeeedy medical insurance companies that ya guyz often rant about ?
Coming from an anti private sector die hard proponent of mandatory - imposed welfare sustenance for all Americans (just to make it fair) I didn't expect you to agree.

Let's wait this thing out and see how the "dust settles" before making a premature judgement.
Of course ya wanna bring it all down man but in the mean time, just chill and smoke a fatty up there in Potland fer me will ya ?