U.S.: Chinese Drywall, Corrosion Linked(Plumbing, Wiring, Appliances, Health)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News/AP

The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of U.S. homeowners over the last year.

In its second report on the potentially defective building materials, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said its investigation also has found a "possible" link between health problems reported by homeowners and hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses.

The agency, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continues to study the potential health effects, and the long-term implications of the corrosion.

The commission said it can now move forward with additional studies to identify effective remediation of the problem and potential assistance from the federal government in fixing it.

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The federal government says China is assisting with the investigation.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/23/national/main5749657.shtml?tag=stack

---

Hello - shouldn't it be the Chinese manufacturers who manufactured this crap or the Chinese government ponying up the money to the Fed and/or homeowners to fix this dangerous problem? If not then the Obama administration and the Congress damn well ought to demand it of them or put heavily stringant testing on products like this coming from China.

[rfranklin]

1. How about a safety tariff on every item brought in from China...

The Chinese custom is "caveat emptor," i.e., if you are stupid enough to accept it you deserve it. They are avid free marketeers.

[KT2000]

20. What a great idea!

Currently it is built into the system that countries with lesser safety and health laws profit more. That needs to change. Remove some of the profitability of China manufacturing by slapping on a safety tariff.
The EU could also slap safety tariffs on US goods made with laws inferior to the ones held by the EU.

It is insane that US manuacturers can circumvent safety rules by going to China and other countries and then they pay off their stockholders.

[RockaFowler]

2. This is awful

People's homes are now worthless. They have this crap in their homes and they are either sick or are getting sick because of this stuff rotting in their walls. I do blame the Chinese Government, but the contractors who decided to cut costs are also to blame. They went with the cheapest instead of the best. A typical US problem it seems.

[flvegan]

6. In Florida, they're also losing their homeowner's insurance over it.

A bunch of people tried to make claims on their policies because of this, all of which of course were denied. Then, the insurance companies started cancelling policies because although not covered, the problem needed to be fixed. Because folks don't have the $30k to fix the problems, the policies are being cancelled.

[RockaFowler]

14. Just another reason to deny coverage

Anything to get out of paying for anything here in Florida. I mean you pay and pay for all of these years and when something happens, they drop you. Typical.

[SPedigrees]

7. The contractors went with what was available.

I doubt there is any drywall manufactured in the USA anymore.

[RockaFowler]

13. And there is the problem

We went with a cheaper way of manufacturing things. It's wrong and now look at what it's doing to people's homes. Cheaper is not always better.

[Vinnie From Indy]

15. No. There are huge drywall mfg facilities in America still

I think this Chinese drywall began to be used more when building was booming and the US mfg's could not keep up with demand AND because the Chinese, as they always do, undercut US Mfg's on the price.

[mbperrin]

18. USG alone has dozens of plants, including one 100 miles from our house.

http://www.usg.com/about/location/usgLocations.jsp

USG Locations

The Corporation’s plants, mines, quarries, transport ships and other facilities are located in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The locations of the production properties of the Corporation’s subsidiaries, grouped by operating segment, are as follows:



Gypsum Wallboard and Other Gypsum Products

Aliquippa, PA
1 Woodlawn RD
15001
Baltimore, MD
5500 Quarantine RD
21226
Bridgeport, AL
100 DJ Nootens DR
35740
Boston (Charlestown), MA
200 Terminal ST
02129
Detroit (River Rouge), MI
10090 W Jefferson
48218
East Chicago, IN
301 Riley RD
46312
Empire, NV
HWY 47
89405
Fort Dodge, IA
2110 Paragon AV
50501
Galena Park, TX
1201 Mayo Shell RD
77547
Jacksonville, FL
6825 Evergreen AV
32208
New Orleans, LA
5701 Lewis RD
70126
Norfolk, VA
1001 Buchanan ST
23523
Plaster City, CA
3810 - W HWY 80
92243
Rainier, OR
29073 Dike RD
97048
Santa Fe Springs, CA
9306 Sorensen AV
90670
Shoals, IN
End of State Route 650
47581
Sigurd, UT
81 North State
84657
Southard, OK
HWY 51A
73770
Sperry, IA
13425 210th St
52650-0187
Stony Point, NY
70 Grassy Point
10980
Sweetwater, TX
1 USG RD
79556
Hagersville, Ontario, Canada
55 Third Line RD
HWY #6
NOA 1HO
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
7200 Notre Dame ST E
H1N 3L6
El Carmen, NL, Mexico
KM 15 Carretera A Monclova
KM 2.5 Camino A La Laguna
66550
Puebla, Mexico
Los Arcos S/N
Chautlancingo, Puebla
72700



Joint Compound (surface preparation and joint treatment products)

Auburn, WA
401 C ST NW
98001
Bridgeport, AL
100 DJ Nootens DR
35740
Chamblee, GA
4859 New Peachtree RD
30341
Dallas, TX
255 Regal Row
75247
East Chicago, IN
301 Riley RD
46312
Fort Dodge, IA
2110 Paragon AV
50501
Galena Park, TX
1201 Mayo Shell RD
77547
Gypsum, OH
Lake ST
43433
Jacksonville, FL
6825 Evergreen AV
32208
Phoenix (Glendale), AZ
5061 N 51st AV
85301
Port Reading, NJ
300 Markley ST
07064
Sigurd, UT
81 North State
84657
Torrance, CA
401 Van Ness AV
90501
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5025-52nd AV SE
T2C 4N7
Hagersville, Ontario, Canada
55 Third Line RD
HWY #6
NOA 1H0
Montreal, Quebec
7200 Notre Dame ST E
H1N 3L6
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
11105 Bridge RD
V3V 3V2
Peterlee CO Durham England
1 Swan RD SW
Industrial Estate
GB-SR8 2HS
Puebla, Mexico
Los Arcos S/N
Chautlancingo, Puebla
72700
Port Klang, Malaysia
Lot7 Lebuh Hishamuddin 2
Kawansan 20
North Klang Straits
4200
Viersen, Germany
Metallstrasse 1
D-41751 Viersen

Cement Board

Baltimore, MD
5500 Quarantine RD
21226
Detroit (River Rouge), MI
10090 W Jefferson
48218
New Orleans, LA
5701 Lewis RD
70126
Santa Fe Springs, CA
9306 Sorensen AV
90670
Gypsum Rock (mines and quarries)

Alabaster (Tawas City), MI
951 Turtle RD
48763
Empire, NV
HWY 47
89405
Chamblee, GA
4859 New Peachtree RD
30341
Fort Dodge, IA
2110 Paragon AV
50501
Plaster City, CA
3810 - W HWY 80
92243
Shoals, IN
End of State Route 650
47581
Sigurd, UT
81 North State
84657
Southard, OK
HWY 51A
73770
Sperry, IA
13425 210th ST.
52650-0187
Sweetwater, TX
1 USG RD
79556
Hagersville, Ontario, Canada
55 Third Line RD
HWY #6
NOA 1HO
Little Narrows, NS, Canada
RR #1
B0E 1TO
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
669 Wentworth RD
B0N 2T0
Manzanillo, Colima Mexico
Plaza Dek-Rey
Rey Coliman #329
Local D-102 Int
28000
Monterrey, El Carmen, NL, Mexico
KM 15 Carretera A Monclova
KM 2.5 Camino A La Laguna
66550

Paper for Gypsum Wallboard

Clark, NJ
1255 Raritan RD
07066
Galena Park, TX
1201 Mayo Shell RD
77547
Gypsum, OH
Lake ST
43433
Jacksonville, FL
6825 Evergreen AV
32208
North Kansas City, MO
1115 Armour RD
64116
Oakfield, NY
2750 Maple AV
14125
South Gate, CA
4500 Ardine ST
90280

Other Products
A mica-processing plant is located at Spruce Pine, NC. Metal lath, plaster and drywall accessories and light gauge steel framing products are manufactured at Puebla, Puebla, Mexico and Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Gypsum fiber panel products are produced at Gypsum, OH. Paper-faced metal corner bead is manufactured at Auburn, WA, and Weirton, WV. Various other products are manufactured at La Mirada, CA (adhesives and finishes), and New Orleans, LA. (lime products).

Ocean Vessels
Gypsum Transportation Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Corporation and headquartered in Bermuda, owns and operates a fleet of three self-unloading ocean vessels. Under contract of affreightment, these vessels transport gypsum rock from Nova Scotia to the East Coast plants of U.S. Gypsum.

[SPedigrees]

3. I'm so glad we did the remodel on our house a decade ago.

I worry about the linoleum flooring I plan to buy and install. Where drywall went, there could go laminate flooring. Any scam involving cut costs that can be dreamed up, the Chinese are sure to implement, without regard to anyone's health or lives. It was nothing to them to poison over 40,000 pets in North American and god knows how many babies in their own country with melamine.

---Hello - shouldn't it be the Chinese manufacturers who manufactured this crap or the Chinese government ponying up the money to the Fed and/or homeowners to fix this dangerous problem?---

Should be, could be, aren't.

And China helping with the investigation will probably amount to bulldozing under the plants that produced some of the drywall before US officials can inspect them, and then executing a token Chinese official. Just like they did with the petfood manufacturing plants. There is no bottom to my contempt for China.

Extending Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to this country, over the objections of our European trading partners, was the most abysmal black mark in American history, probably worse than invading Afganistan and Iraq.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. We might as well consider that we are now engaged in a somewhat cold war with China

Their attacks have been low-key for a war, but they are relentless.

[bigworld]

5. And builders who cut corners with subpar Chinese drywall

probably cut corners with everything else as well.

[SPedigrees]

8. They purchased building materials from China from home depot or similar store.

The cost of seeking out domestically made custom products would make building a home out of the budget of most.

[RamboLiberal]

10. And from what I'm reading during the building boom

There was a shortage of drywall which helped in giving the opening for this crap Chinese drywall.

[Vinnie From Indy]

16. That is exactly correct

the US still makes a great deal of drywall. The Chinese got in during the building boom when the US could not satisfy demand.

[NJCher]

12. absolutely not true

The cost of seeking out domestically made custom products would make building a home out of the budget of most.

The day this story broke, I was taking delivery on sheet rock for my office. I called before the truck left the lumberyard, seeking verification as to where it was manufactured. The lumberyard had not yet heard the story but didn't question why I wanted to know. They said all their sheet rock came from one of two places--either South Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Much later, I was speaking with a buyer of construction materials nationally and I asked if there was a price difference on Chinese sheet rock vs. domestic and the answer was "negligible." While that is just one person's experience, it is at least some indication.

As another poster here states, the reason they went to Chinese drywall was there was a building boom at the time and they couldn't get U.S. drywall. Also, I learned from my father that drywall had been run up in price due to the high demand for it for reconstruction in Iraq.

Right now, however, I am in the midst of an extensive home renovation and I am finding materials to be quite reasonable. One kitchen cabinetmaker just went down in price (a domestic mfr).


Cher

[louis-t]

17. "all their sheet rock came from "

Might not mean it was manufactured there. Might not be a bad idea to google manufacturing plants in the area to see if they really make it there.

[jasi2006]

9. A study should be done to find out if the recent rash of pancreatic cancer

is linked to this stuff in homes. Three men in my family who work in construction,especially around drywall were recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer...stage IV. All were given 6-12 months. I am just wondering if there is a link because they all construction work in common.

[RamboLiberal]

11. Could be - it has a high concentration of uranium & radium

Your family might want to do some research for a law firm taking on these cases.

The chief culprit is phosphogypsum, a byproduct of fertilizer production that contains high concentrations of uranium and radium. The EPA has banned its use in the U.S. But In China, where phosphogypsum is unregulated, it's considered a cheap substitute for high-quality gypsum for constructing drywall. Apparently, gypsum and carcinogenic phosphogypsum can be differentiated by smell.

Affected homeowners have blamed severe respiratory problems and nosebleeds on the drywall, The Birmingham Business Journal reported. Homeowners in 24 states, most of them in Florida, are complaining about the foul drywall, but Hovnanian is hardly alone: Lennar (LEN), Ryland (RYL), Beazer (BZH), and D R Horton (DHI) have all had to remediate homes with phosphogypsum drywall, at a cost of $100,000 or so apiece.


http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/09/toxic-chinese-drywall-turns-u-s-homes-into-smelly-cancer-traps/

[onehandle]

19. Cut off China. Starve them like we did with the Soviet Union.

Oops, too late.

Brush up on your Chinese everyone. They will be the dominant superpower sooner than we think.

[midnight armadillo]

21. I have plaster in my house

And I do love it so. Strong, thick, and very sound-absorbent.

[RamboLiberal]

22. Oh Great - CBS tested US made drywall & found sulfur emissions

see thread I started. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4158410