Federal Government ramps up investigation into defective Chinese Drywall
Posted by
Amanda WickMarch 27, 2009 10:11 AMRecently, the Herald Tribune reported that on Thursday, March 26th, federal investigators from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) were in Southwest Florida inspecting the electrical systems of at least four homes to further investigate claims of defective Chinese Drywall. While the CPSC has been investigating this for weeks, yesterday marked a huge step in the investigation as it was the first time the federal team went to actually do formal inspections of homes in Florida.
As the article points out, what's really critical about the federal inspection is that if the CPSC ultimately determines that the Chinese drywall poses a safety hazard, the CPSC can issue a recall of ALL the Chinese drywall imported and installed into homes. It can also stop future sales and prevent any more of it from being imported. AND, possibly most important to those homeowners who have already filed suit against Knauf and the makers of the drywall, the CPSC also has subpoena power, which means it can demand that the companies responsible hand over any relevant records from builders, suppliers and manufacturers.
WHAT'S BEING DONE?
Currently, there are at least three lawsuits pending against the makers of the drywall and other involved parties, that could greatly benefit from the CPSC stepping in to assist in gathering evidence. There are at least three federal lawsuits allegining injuries to plaintiffs in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama. Given reports that a builder in Virginia came forward to acknowledge defective drywall installation in a development there, more are likely to be filed around the country.
IS THIS ONLY A PROBLEM IN FLORIDA?
Concerns are growing that, as new cases are cropping up in Lousisiana and Alabama (states that suffered severe drywall shortages after destruction from hurricanes), this could be a nationwide problem. Past reports by the Herald-Tribune indicate that the drywall was not only imported into Florida and Louisiana, but also came in through ports in California, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It was literally imported all over the country.
And while lawsuits may only have been filed in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama, this is likely only the beginning. From reading the press on this issue for the last several months, the one thing that is abundantly clear is that no one tested or inspected this stuff before installing it. Distributors, builders, and suppliers appear to have sold and installed it without giving any thought to the fact that drywall imported from China might be as defective as thousands of other Chinese products that have made the news in the last few years. And what is most mind-boggling is that none of them appear to have given a thought to the long-term costs and consequences of a short-term strategy of saving a little money on drywall, rather than using quality products that they knew to be safe.
Given the amount of drywall imported in other states, it would not surprise me to see reports of the defective drywall having been installed in houses nationwide. Because the smell appears to be agitated by heat and humidity (thus the rapid development of problems in Florida), we will likely see more of these cases popping up the closer we get to summer time.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I EVEN HAVE CHINESE DRYWALL?
If your house was constructed in the last four years, you may be at higher risk for having Chinese drywall. The first thing people tend to notice is a smell of burnt eggs, or sulfur, as if something were rotting. However, people have also said it smelled like wood varnish so regardless of what you think it smells like, if something doesn't smell right, do further investigation. (Please note - some people report not smelling anything so if you see other signs, do not disregard them simply because your house does not smell). Surefire ways you can check for the drywall include removing the outlet plates on your wall and checking to see if the copper wires have turned black. Other signs include blackened or broken A/C or refrigerator coils and pitted and/or blacked metal on fixtures. If you have an attic, some people have been able to see the words "Knauf" or "Made in China" on the back of the drywall boards in their attic (though the lack of these does not mean you do NOT have it, since many builders may have only used it on walls and not ceilings). For additional help, contact your local health department or the CPSC.
