UP TO 100,000 HOMES WERE BUILT WITH CONTAMINATED DRYWALL…. product was made in China

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

Story by Joe McDonald in Beijing

At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap.

Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who are concerned that the wallboard gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and silverware, and possibly sicken people.

Shipping records reviewed by The Associated Press indicate that imports of potentially tainted Chinese building materials exceeded 500 million pounds during a four-year period of soaring home prices. The drywall may have been used in more than 100,000 homes, according to some estimates, including houses rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

“This is a traumatic problem of extraordinary proportions,” said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat who introduced a bill in the House calling for a temporary ban on the Chinese-made imports until more is known about their chemical makeup. Similar legislation has been proposed in the Senate.

Read more: http://gangbox.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/up-to-100000-homes-were-built-with-contaminated-drywall-product-was-made-in-china-by-knauf-plasterboard-tianjin/

[pleah]

1. K&R

[peacetalksforall]

2. Has all the tainted and posonous exports from CHina all gone tothe U.S. Are there

reports of these products going to Sweden or Brazil? If not, do they have better inspectors or less corrupt inspectors?

[Celebration]

5. all the crap seems to go everywhere

A bunch of babies in China died because of melamine in the formula.

[Deja Q]

38. I once recall reading a news article featuring Russia doing a recall on a Chinese product

Their reputation won't do them good in the long run.

:shrug:

I'm sorry they are killing their own as well; does nobody respect life anymore? Or, once it pops out of the vagina it no longer matters, is that it?

[aquart]

10. Britain got the allergenic leather sofas.

[robinlynne]

3. temporary ban? How insane is it to bring housebuilding materials from China?

Absolutely totally insane to ship drywall around the world for ANY reason.

[jmowreader]

24. It's insane to bring building materials in from anywhere...

but go to either Home Depot or Lowe's and look at the spruce-pine-fir softwood bundles. The store I worked at sold imported SPF dimensional lumber--imported not from Canada but rather from Sweden or Germany. From what I've seen, Home Depot and Lowe's aren't the only ones who think that way--I have seen a LOT of Klausner Holzteile bundles on flatbed trailers going down the road.

[L. Coyote]

45. People paying too much for homes. What part of the price is this kind of idiocy?

Shipping heavy products around the world cost money. Indeed, this sort of "economic order" is insane.

And given a $250,000.00 home folks, the difference in price stayed the same, but the builder made an extra $20 a house!!

==========================
Tainted drywall from China is driving owners from their homes
A toxic substance is suspected of causing corrosion, health problems, and foul odors, bringing lawsuits and calls for government action.
By Jacqui Goddard | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the April 4, 2009 edition
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0404/p99s01-usgn.html


Miami - There was something that always bothered Rene Galvin when she walked in the front door of her new condo - an eye-watering, rotten egg smell that clung to the four walls and everything contained within them, from the furniture to her carpet and clothes.

She could never quite put her finger on the cause of the foul odor that seemed to pervade every pore. "I'd just stand there, look around and say to myself: 'One day, I'll find out whatever it is that died inside these walls'," she says.

But there were further problems to come; mirrors that corroded around the edges, drains that rusted on the baths, pitted faucets, the television, computer, dishwasher, coffee pot, telephones, and air-conditioning system that all inexplicably broke down. Even the treasured gold-dipped necklace she wore around her neck turned black. Then there were the headaches, throat and sinus troubles.

"I had no idea what was going on. I thought 'Boy, the Florida air sure is bad'," she says with a wry laugh.

Humor, though, is not something that comes easily these days when she talks about her $500,000 home in Bonita Springs, Florida, that now sits empty after it was found to contain contaminated drywall from China.

The discovery of sulfur-emitting compounds within the imported construction materials has sparked a national investigation, numerous lawsuits, and a scandal that is feared to have affected as many as 100,000 homes, a majority so far in Florida. Reparations could run into the billions of dollars.

So dire is the situation – with US suppliers and builders reluctant to take the heat, the overseas manufacturer resisting liability, and insurance companies denying claims, while victims are faced with having their homes gutted if not entirely bulldozed – that lawmakers are pushing for a state of emergency to be declared in Florida, to start the flow of federal financial aid.

"This is an acute and growing crisis," US Rep. Robert Wexler ..............

[rhett o rick]

87. Used to be hard to find Washington grown apples in a Washington Fred Meyer store.

Mostly from Australia or Asia. I think the move for home grown has brought about some improvements. I always ask where the produce was grown. I also buy at local stores too. A local food coop is forming which will help.

[jeff47]

90. It's amazing how cheap stuff becomes when you use slave labor

It's the labor that makes this feasible.

If you want a slate roof, it's cheaper to buy the slate tiles from China and have it shipped to the job site than to buy the tiles from Kentucky.

Yes, it's a f'in rock, so it's heavy as hell. But the folks cutting it are getting 're-educated' instead of trying to support a family in the US, so they're working very cheap.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. About 10 years ago I lived in an apt. complex with a serious roach problem

Fucked up thing was, it was a brand new apt. complex. Couldn't figure out where the little bastards were coming from. Had some idiot neighbors downstairs who would actually leave bags of garbage sitting outside because they were too goddamn lazy to walk across the street to the dumpster, so I blamed it on them. But even after they were gone, and the whole goddamn building had been bombed several times the roaches remained.

Well, long after I had left that place (due to an unrelated issue with the asshole management) I learned from a friend in the construction business that this roach infestation in new construction was a common problem, because they were using ...... drum roll please.....

cheap fucking Chinese drywall!! :grr: (it had roach eggs in it)

[Jefferson23]

8. Ugh, that is beyond disgusting.

[XemaSab]

23. .

:puke:

[geckosfeet]

6. Lowest bid. eom

[Hope And Change]

7. K & R!

[grahamhgreen]

9. "Free Trade" isn't free. It's a scam. Out of WTO & NAFTA, Etc.

[SPedigrees]

11. It isn't NAFTA

this started when when we extended PNTR (permanent normal trade relations) to China above the objections of our European neighbors. Our Euro trading partners wanted to place regulations on China and bring them along slowly into the working and product safety standards of the west. But WalMart and other US megacorporations wanted cheap labor to exploit. Greed won out.

[Deja Q]

41. Welcome to DU!

Interesting information - thank you much for posting!

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Goes very well with the contaminated chinese furniture.

You won't be able to tell what is causing that rash..
the walls
the furniture,,,,,,New sofas (from China) to blame for rash of allergies;
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3827034


the food...
the make up..

I think the Neo-cons are paying the Chinese to kill us off.

[djp2]

13. Let's condemn those houses...

and give replacements from the foreclosure market!! Solve 2 problems with 1 action. Or are those TOXIC assets?!?

[lib2DaBone]

25. I agree. Yet No one in the U.S. complains?

I wonder what is wrong.. that people will accept poison in their dog food, anti-freeze in their tooth paste and lead paint in their toys?

Yet NO ONE in thie country voices a concern or could even give a crap?

But the worst part it is American Jobs that are going to CHINA to procuce this crap. I don't know.. none of it makes sense....

[RayOfHope]

29. " I think the Neo-cons are paying the Chinese to kill us off."

is exactly what my husband just said.

[Wednesdays]

46. "If they would rather die," said Scrooge,

"they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

[Richard Steele]

50. Very well put. nm

[Postman]

14. Maybe they should have made the drywall out of Melamine dogfood n/t

[8 track mind]

28. Gross, but funny!

:rofl:

[Akoto]

15. This is a big story down here in South Florida.

Lots of people apparently got this drywall, and they're all understandably pissed about it.

Reporters on our local evening news were given a tour of one lady's brand new house. The copper pipes under her sink looked like they were made of black plastic!

[medeak]

16. big in Las Vegas as well

both share enormous housing boom gone bust

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[medeak]

60. missed some drama? n/t

[TankLV]

78. Almost ALL plumbing piping IS actually made of "black plastic"

because copper has been too expensive for DECADES now...

Almost NO ONE uses copper anymore...

[Laelth]

17. That essay is well done. Recommended. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[LynneSin]

18. Well I guess it was a good thing I bought a house built in the 1930s

don't have to worry about those issues

[Chronotis2613]

21. nope, just the lead paint and the asbestos

on the pipes, and the knob-and-tube electrical wiring insulated with cloth. We had to deal with all of that when we moved into our 1925-27 house. But if your house was renovated within the last few decades, you're probably okay. :)

[liberal N proud]

19. Chinese products contaminated, Who would have ever thought?

Either the people allowing this shit into the country are fucking stupid or the American people are for allowing it to continue.

[closeupready]

33. I know right? Of all the outlandish things.

Who could have ever predicted...?

[hadrons]

20. QQuick, get Erin Burnett to tell us how wonderful China's products are!!!!

[burning rain]

26. That really sucks.

If they're going to make drywall weird, it should be so that if I punch a hole in it, I can pull out a handful of shrimp egg foo yung, or an eggroll. Now that would be cool.

[Odin2005]

27. See how good free trade is? *SARCASM*

Why we still import ANYTHING from China is beyond me. IMO ALL imports from China should be banned until they have proven that their shit isn't contaminated.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sandyd921]

82. Ever wonder if they're blackmailing us into it?

"Keep buying our contaminated shit or we'll stop buying your damn bonds."


:eyes:

[renate]

85. well, that's probably why the government hasn't done anything serious about it

They're between a rock and a hard place, for sure... previous administrations have permitted us to become owned by China, and now we don't dare offend them.

[wordpix]

97. BINGO, you see the long and short of it right there

[Hello_Kitty]

92. That's exactly what India did with China-made toys.

Banned their import for safety reasons. Funny how you never heard the cries of "ZOMG PROTECTIONIZM!!1!" about that.

[salguine]

30. Has anyone ever wondered whether China's shipping us all this

contaminated poison shit—from food to toys to building materials to furniture and everything else—isn't deliberate on their part? I mean, they literally don't seem to be able to make anything that isn't a fucking toxic poison mess. When you look at it, having us so thoroughly dependent on everything coming from China is kind of Trojan Horsey, isn't it? I would have thought the idea silly once, but it doesn't sound completely crazy anymore. Is that completely tinfoil-hattish?

Just a thought.

[NBachers]

54. Chinese living here want Made in USA products

I work in a large, locally-owned building materials store in San Francisco. It is standard procedure here for our Chinese customers, and believe me we've got plenty, to come looking for the Made in USA products. They look to see if they're made in China, and they don't want to buy them.

I figure it's pride in being Americans, along with having good reasons not to support a government/economic system they left behind. And, maybe personal reasons not to trust the quality.

Unfortunately, try as I do, it's hard to find a Made in USA product to offer them. There is actually interest here in buying American-made products. I've suggested that we should have "Made in USA" stickers to label every American-made product. But the suggestion gets shot down, because the scarcity of "Made in USA" stickers would just emphasize how few of those products we actually have.

Home Depot bought an old shut-down lumber yard here and was going to move into town. There was a lot of local resistance. After several years, Home Depot's fortunes changed, and they backed out. Then our illustrious rising-Democratic star mayor, Gavin Newsom, went soliciting Loew's. Now Lowe's has committed to move onto the site. Yes, they've agreed to hire locals, and that will help provide jobs to impoverished neighborhoods. But I wonder how many other jobs and businesses will get torpedoed in these desperate times. I've got a good, stable, benefits job in a locally owned business. Now I fear for the loss of that job.

Thanks, Gavin

[NJCher]

69. I bought local with no problem

I recently had my office drywalled and I bought from the local lumberyard. I phoned to make sure it was not drywall from China and they checked and said it was manufactured at one of two places, either in PA or south Jersey. They had to make a phone call to be sure, though.

Drywalling is a big headache. It's a mess and if it's done properly with expert taping and sanding, it takes a lot of labor. Here's my new office. I haven't finished decorating it but you can see the new U.S.-MADE walls and molding.






Cher

[NBachers]

93. Wow- Thanks for posting these most excellent pictures

Yes, you're right. Framing, drywalling, taping, mudding, sanding, priming, painting, trimming- it's hugely labor-intensive, and it's a skill that takes lots of practice to learn. A lotta grunt work, but the results are worth it if you do a good job. They're skills not everyone can become proficient at. Huge mess factor.

I think most of the drywall around is USA made. It sounds like this was a case where the volume of building outpaced available supply.

I like all the details in your office, but I gotta say- the best feature is the windows and the sunny day right outside. Must be nice when they're open. It looks like you've created a cheery work environment. Congratualtions, NJCher.

Maybe you could move the monitor off the column and put that cat statue on it. :)

[northernlights]

64. I used to, except

they poison their own people as well. Recently killed off a lot of their babies with melamine-poisoned formula. They have severe overpopulation so I guess they figure they're doing themselves a favor. And our wonderful government has imported that attitude to us. Swell. Just swell.

Poisoned dog food. Poisoned toothpaste. Poisoned toys. Poisoned homes. The fruits of no regulation.

[CrispyQ]

75. They're in it for the profit, just like our corporations are.

Have you seen "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price"? It's an excellent documentary that covers several different aspects of our Walmart culture. In one segment they went to China & showed a factory with two different production lines for basically the same product. The difference was that one product was for Europe & the other was for the US. The European standards were higher.

That doesn't mean that the Europeans don't get bit in the butt sometimes, too. But some of our issues are related to having industry leaders in charge of our regulatory agencies & the gutting of financing for those agencies.

[bkkyosemite]

31. When are we the people of this here United States going to demand that our products be made here.

Our poisoned food is from China, our poisoned toys are from China, our poisoned animal food is from China and our poisoned housing products are from China. Does anyone see a trend....our jobs have been taken over by China (and others).

We need to demand that our products be made here and that our manufacturing be here. Especially our food which many of us do not know we are even eating food from China but we are ...

[WarhammerTwo]

48. We can demand all we want...

but the WTO will tell us, "Tough shit!" I think (but am not sure) that part of the stimulus package had an amendment about using US made steel for road and bridge work. WTO came in and said, "No way! That violates our agreement. You gotta take the lowest bidder, pally!" And just take a wild guess as to who the lowest bidder probably would be. And see, I got no qualms about the American worker competing against foreign labor, as long as it's the QUALITY of the work that's competing. But it's not. It's all about price. And because we Americans want a LIVABLE wage and have been used to a decent standard of living, we will lose out time after time. We simply can't compete unless we drop our living standards to third world levels. And that is NOT fair. That's why Grahamhgreen got it right. We gotta PULL OUT of the WTO. Bush had no problem bailing on Kyoto and pissing off the world. Obama should have no issue will pulling out of this bullshit organization and pissing off the world. Oh, but we can't. That'll upset China. Who carry all our debt. So at the very least, we need to rework these pacts so that all nations have a level playing field. Force other countries to raise wages and increase the living standard to Western levels so global workers can compete based on the QUALITY of the work. The US will win out every time.

[primavera]

79. As soon as we stop giving all of our money to places like MalWart

Americans have got to wake up to the reality that there is no such thing as a free lunch - in the long run, you ultimately DO get what you pay for. Yet I've heard shoppers complain that they can always go over to MalWart and find a product for less. Stores are no idiots, they hear those same comments and they react the same way, in a vicious race towards the bottom of the barrel. Everything has to be cheap, cheaper, cheapest, no matter how shoddy the workmanship, how poor the product, how many Third Worlders work in slave-like conditions in sweat shops to produce them, or how many Americans lose their jobs as a result. Nope, we don't give a shit, just give us our cheap plastic crap. Some of the problem can justly be laid at the feet of organizations like the WTO, but a lot of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of American consumers who have absolutely no sense of conscience when it comes to money.

[bkkyosemite]

34. Know what. Instead of Obama giving billions to the banks and corporations he needs to give it to us

to start manufacturing companies that have unions make our own stuff and to hell with big business. They can stay in the third world for all I care. That would take care of most everything.

[blue97keet]

35. Many kinds of "toxic assets" from a single runaway trade policy (deficit)

[Stinger2]

36. Lennar Homes say they ran out of drywall, not that it was cheaper to be made in China

Lennar Homes say they ran out of drywall, not that it was cheaper to be made in China and shipped half way around the world. Gross negligent wins over greed every time, we are on are own people, even if tax payers dollars are suppose to go for testing, its not needed in the greedy world of deregulate and get richer with slave labor from the other side of the world, they could care less or it’s just a war of see how much they could poison in a war before the greedy Americans can figure out they are being poisoned.

Toxic Drywall Rotting Houses, Sickening Occupants in Florida

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/toxi-chinese-drywall.php


Ningbo Yaja Furniture Co., Ltd.


NEWTON, Mass. - A new study reports that because of California’s furniture flammability standard, the state’s residents and their homes contain high levels of the toxic flame retardant PBDE.

The study by the Silent Spring Institute reports that the standard passed three decades ago, which requires furniture to be fire resistant to an open flame for 12 seconds, led to increased exposure to penta-BDE, a commercial flame retardant banned in 2004. The substance was added to furniture foam to meet the standard.

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/nbyaja/cdetailxJQxmEnAMEhQxmQExQndGJUQ/Study-Furniture-FR-rule-leads-to-toxins.html

Did you know a enormous amount of furniture and mattresses are being made in China and exported without passing regulations for fire and worse of all toxins that could be hazardous and even deadly to humans and animals? Look at were your furniture was made, if it even has a tag of origin. Who knows what kind of chemicals your are inhaling everyday? And your worried about them smokers?

[elehhhhna]

76. There was a HUGE shortage of bldg. materials and Lennar's been

the ONE company to come out and address and confront this problem. They're putting homeowners up at their own expense and redoing the entire interiors of their homes. I suspect they could have ducked this liability by going bankrupt -- as most companies would have. They're showing some (expensive) corporate responsibility at a time when it's totally out of fashion.

[Downwinder]

37. I had a roof leak and couldn't understand the aroma of hydrogen sulfide. n/t

[quidam56]

39. China regulates US

We've piddled away our military, environment, health and owe China for a lied about war. What pisses me off is what China is doing to Appalachia. Our mountains are being bombed, blasted and bulldozed right into 3rd world America by THE BIG COAL INDUSTRY to power China and their behemoth CO2 coal fired power plants and what do we get in return ??? Toxic cheap crap. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=138 I have to say Hannity's America sure ain't my America. Wise County can't stand anymore of the progress and prosperity...

[Downwinder]

40. Are we going to be calling West Virginians flatlanders?

[Homer Wells]

66. I live down here in the WV CoalFields,

and I recently saw a bumper sticker which read "Almost LEVEL, West Virginia..."
True, dat!

[lib2DaBone]

42. I know.. it's doesn't make any sense....

We have given EVERYTHING we have to CHINA. WHY? Who said we should do this?

Poison toys, poison wall board, poison food.... what is wrong tha Americans can't stand up and say STOP?

To this very minute.. jobs are still flowing to CHINA under our Tax Laws. Where is our Evangelical Congress on this issue?

[baldguy]

43. We'll be dealing with the poisoning of America by the GOP for the next century.

Our grandchildren's grandchildren will suffer from them.

[bvar22]

70. It is a serious error to blame the GOP.

The poisoning of America and the raping of our Working Class was a Bi-Partisan effort.
The outrages that started under Reagan accelerated under Clinton and a Democratic Congress.

[HughMoran]

44. Sucks, my job was shipped to China and this is what we get in return

We get their "learning curve" as they ship literally tons of defective and sometimes POISONOUS junk. This world sucks.

[Justyce]

74. And Obama's reply to the question of trying to stop the offshoring

of American jobs was 'those jobs are gone'... I'm so frustrated that he apparently intends to do nothing to discourage corporations from sending out jobs overseas. HOW can our economy rebound when so many jobs are flying out of the country?!


(Another discussion of his response: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5354328&mesg_id=5354328 )

[CrispyQ]

77. But don't fear! The green jobs will save us!

:eyes:

Private investors in green companies are already requiring that they outsource their operations once they get to a certain point.

[HughMoran]

80. Believe it or not, options for alternative energy/solar are available to me

I may end up getting into this emerging market as opportunities are popping up frequently.

[ohheckyeah]

47. Could the contractors and workmen

not smell the drywall? Did they just not care?

Seriously, is this magic drywall that only emits the smell once it's on the walls and painted?

[NJCher]

68. stupidity and apathy along the way

Nobody knows anything anymore. "I dunno."

Or perhaps it takes time for it to emit enough that it causes the damage. Or perhaps it interacts with the atmosphere when enough square footage is exposed.


Cher

[progressoid]

49. While the RW complains about this, they also want the same lack of oversight for our industries.

Dipshits.

[notesdev]

53. We don't call 'em

'free traitors' for nothing

[XXXMADAM]

51. The Lead Republic of China

High levels of lead have been found in dozens of vinyl and faux leather women's handbags, purses and wallets, made in China.

In March 2009, Nordstrom Girl’s Shoes, made in China, were recalled. Surface paint on the outer sole of these shoes contains excessive levels of lead.

In March, 2009, DBX Glide Boys Ice Skates, made in China, were recalled. Surface paint on the ice skates contains excessive levels of lead.

In January 2009, Children’s Sunglasses, made in China, were recalled. Surface paint on the recalled sunglasses can contain excessive levels of lead.

Construction Play Sets, made in China, Army Figures, made in China, “Dinosaur Epoch” Toy Dinosaurs, made in China

Keys can contain lead. Please keep keys away from children. Some are made of brass (gold in color) which contains lead and some may be brass but with a silver-colored coating. Never put keys in your mouth or allow a child to do so. Anyone handling keys should wash hands after handling, especially before eating.




The list is endless and geared towards CHILDREN. Link: http://orgs.unca.edu/eqi/LPP/news.html

[Divine Discontent]

55. China is either out to slaughter the offspring of Americans or just greedy - you decide - however,

how does our govt let this TOXIC MURDEROUS CRAP into our country????

Thanks govt! (and thanks to you XXXMADAM for the pics)



Sadly, I tell someone every time I'm in a store that is nearby (I don't care how 'crazy' I look) that I'm trying to find the USA made product of whatever I'm staring at - and they say, "oh, I didn't even think about that" probably 90% of the time. I more often than not find an American made item out of the 5 or so varieties but get ticked when I can't.

I DO NOT TRUST THE CHINESE - and even 15 years ago, when I started seeing lots of Chinese imports of all things leather, cloth, etc, that used to be American, I noticed they smelled funny, stained oddly, and made me nauseous!



AVOID CHINESE EVERYTHING IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!


US GOVT PLEASE PROTECT US FROM THEIR FAULTY CRAP BETTER THAN YOU'RE DOING!
:rant:

[Downwinder]

63. They are just following our example.

For years we sent our seconds, rejects, and illegal products off to be used in third world countries. What better proof of our status as a third world country is there than the fact that the US is now the dumping ground for the world.

Give a thought to Walmart's origin. Originally it was based on damaged freight, seconds, and rejects. Now that has become the whole economy.

The best thing is that Walmart is not in the spelling checker.

What goes around, comes around.

[wial]

52. chinese zinc is contaminated too

with cadmium, which goes into Norwegian farmed salmon in their feed. so don't eat it unless you like poisoning yourself worse than smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes. problem being, the same scientists sit on review committees as on fisheries industry committees, and guess who pays them.

[KillCapitalism]

56. I fuckin wish I could boycott Chinese made shit.

Emphasis on the word shit here.

Let's see, we've had tainted toothpaste, pet food, various food items, and now drywall that we have gotten from China.

I'd never buy anything from those fucking bastards if I could, but it's just about impossible since they make almost everything on store shelves here.

[DesertDiamond]

57. About five years ago I was looking at mugs in a store, which were made in China

This was way before any reports of lead in China-made dishware. But it occurred to me to ask a clerk whether we could be sure there was no lead in the paint on the mugs. She replied that it was impossible, since "everything that comes into the U.S. is carefully inspected." Yes, Americans used to have faith that our country was surely protecting us from harmful foreign products. Now, I only buy mugs from, well, anywhere but China. Last Christmas I spent a lot of time and extra money finding soccer balls, toys, every gift I bought, from anywhere but China. And will from now on.

[Left Coast2020]

59. I think #56 has a very valid point. This should become a campaign..

included in EFCA. But apparently chinese companies don't care about what they ship here until a defect is discovered, then chinese government gets pissed at company. Hell, when I was there last year (true story) working as as english teacher, some dude feel off a 20 or so story building under construction near my apartment--likely w/o safety lines. As with case of pet food contamination, when government see's that people died (after the fact), company owner is the one who is punished--likely receiving the death penalty. To understand China would take up this entire thread. Bottom line is, most companies in China do not take preventative measures whether its building a hotel, or producing pet food. They just put it out there because they (the companies) want to make $$$$$. Just like the schools I worked at. The more students they can enroll, the more money the school makes. And they tell the students parents "oh, we have an American english teacher here. Your children will get good english lessons". And because I can't find a job here, I may be going back in June. Its a last resort if I can't find a job soon.

[condoleeza]

58. I wouldn't touch a house built between '75 and 2000

I sure as hell wouldn't touch anything stucco built in the last 25 years.

American companies sent their tainted baby formula to African nations, we sent vaccines we knew were bad to foreign countries. I guess China thought it was okay, as well, to send their toxic waste to other countries. Capitalism at it's finest. Let the buyer beware.

No country is innocent.

[Summermoondancer]

61. Oh My when will we ever learn?

[Optical.Catalyst]

62. One more example of the Bush Administration being asleep at the switch

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[northernlights]

65. class action law suit time?

Could we the people hire best litigation attorneys we've got and sue the individual congress-critters that forced this travesty on us? For failure to perform their jobs?

[pokercat999]

67. That will work out well, the lawyers will get $5B and the

homeowners will get $11.76 each, plus a coupon for 3 sheets of drywall.

STOP ALL IMPORTS FROM COUNTRIES THAT DO NOT MEET OR EXCEED U.S. OSHA, LABOR AND EPA LAWS!

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rosesaylavee]

73. 100,000 homes built by home builders ADMITTING they used this product.

What a nightmare. I will not be surprised to find out that there are more than a million new homes with this in it.

[flvegan]

81. This is big news in Florida. Gov Crist is allegedly getting involved now.

Lawsuits everywhere. I feel horribly for these folks that bought in good faith.

[drm604]

83. Can the homeowners sue the Chinese companies?

Can we attach the money they have invested in this country to compensate the homeowners?

[rhett o rick]

88. Maybe in a parallel universe. nm

[XXXMADAM]

84. Lead Land Mines

Any Dollar Store also...

"Americans Scared of Lead Paint in Chinese Olympic Food"
February 21, 2008

excerpts:

...One seaport in China had 40 shipments to the U.S. denied by the FDA. (China Food Problems) China has been polluting their waters to depletion, forcing farmers to mix illegal veterinary drugs and pesticides into fish feed to neutralize the effects of the toxic water....

“There are heavy metals, mercury and flame retardants in fish samples we’ve tested,”....

Along with seafood contamination, other types of food have also been compromised. Earlier February, 175 Japanese were sickened by insecticide-tainted dumplings from China....
http://juicedsportsblog.com/2008/02/usa-food-olympics-2.html

However, if the lead poisons your liver (organs, skin, eyeballs, etc...) don't forget China will replace it with another one from a political prisoner - who was prolly protesting lead contamination.

[MasonJar]

86. Oh, no, not New Orleans please. The government must replace/rebuild

any NO property with the contaminated drywall. The government failed NO and then Bush hired his buddies to do the little he did do.

[rhett o rick]

89. This is going to continue until capitalism is brought under control.

I don't see many in Congress working to bring rampant capitalism under control. Many are themselves reaping the immoral rewards.

[Hello_Kitty]

91. Where are DU's resident globalism apologists on this thread?

Nowhere to be found, natch. :eyes:

And gee, I thought using cheap labor and supplies was supposed to make the cost of things go down.

[and-justice-for-all]

94. That's pathetic, we can't even make our own fucking drywall??

we have to buy it from China???

[DemBones DemBones]

95. Crap! We need to drywall our new room and

I don't like the thought of getting contaminated Chinese drywall.

[raccoon]

96. Well, I guess the US government will have to buy all those homes

with the taxpayers' money. :sarcasm: :silly:


I'm not in a great mood, it's Monday, raining, and after Spring Break.