Posts Tagged ‘Chinese Drywall’
Breaking News Chinese Drywall!
I have Chinese Drywall, I’m located in South Florida. I created this website to help homeowners and to help get an understanding of how widespread this disaster is. If you have Chinese Drywall I want to hear from you, please register here.
WARNING: If your home was built or renovated between 2004 and 2007, it may contain a defective and dangerous product known as Chinese Drywall.
WHY IT’S DANGEROUS:
Chinese Drywall emits toxins that may pose serious health threats to homeowners, including respiratory problems, headaches, and nose bleeds. The toxins also corrode metal within a home causing severe damage to electronic equipment, wires, pipes and air conditioning systems.
Chinese Drywall News Alerts
USBC States the Importance of Certification in Remediation for …
PR.com (press release)
There are possibly hundreds of thousands of homes that have to be remediated from defective Chinese drywall in Florida alone. It has been reported that as …
Chinese drywall concerns in Newport News subdivision
By Patrick Terpstra, 13News NEWPORT NEWS – Nearly 70 homes in a Newport News neighborhood could be checked after Chinese drywall was found in one house. …
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Estero home tested for Chinese drywall lawsuits
NBC2 News
ESTERO: A federal judge has ordered 30 homes across the country be tested for Chinese drywall, to set a standard for all of the federal lawsuits surrounding …
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Editorial: Let’s see more action on drywall
The News-Press
That’s at least some help for people whose recently built or remodeled homes have been damaged or ruined by Chinese drywall, which smells like rotten eggs …
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Number of implicated Chinese drywall manufacturers may be about to jump sharply.
The number of Chinese drywall manufacturers responsible for corrosion and potential health problems plaguing U.S. homeowners may be about to increase substantially.
With the first set of home inspections about to begin in the massive combined Chinese drywall litigation playing out in New Orleans, lawyers involved in the case were told to document the different identifying markings on wallboard found in affected homes.
On Thursday, they revealed that 36 separate variations of tainted drywall have been found — a much higher number than previously disclosed.
While some manufacturers may have more than one way of marking their product and some markings were stamped by distributors, the three dozen variations opens the door to a host of new companies publicly joining the mix.
New players revealed in photographs filed with the court show names such as Crescent City Gypsum Inc., International Materials Trading, ProWall and Dragon Brand Drywall.
The disclosure came Thursday as U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon, who is overseeing the multidistrict litigation, warned one of the Chinese manufacturers already identified — Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd. — that he would issue a default judgment if it did not respond in the case.
Fallon also warned other defendants served with lawsuits who had failed to respond that he would consider granting default judgments against them.
At Thursday’s proceeding, he appeared ready to follow through.
The Mitchell Co., an Alabama home builder also active in Florida, had filed a motion Wednesday asking the court for a default judgment against Taishan Gypsum, which the builder was finally able to serve with its suit this summer in China.
Taishan, also known as Taian Taishan Plasterboard and Shandong Taihe Dongxin Co. Ltd., is controlled by the Beijing New Building Materials Public Limited Co., or BNBM, a state-owned entity controlled by the Chinese government.
Fallon said he would issue a preliminary default judgment against the manufacturer if it did not file an appearance before Sept. 24. The judge warned that what would then quickly follow would be a hearing to determine a final judgment against Taishan.
“I will set it for a hearing, you can present any evidence and I’ll issue a judgment, a monetary judgment, on that,” Fallon told the attorney for The Mitchell Co.
As the Herald-Tribune first reported in February, Taishan continued shipping drywall to the U.S. into 2007, after many other Chinese manufacturers had stopped. In summer 2007, for example, three Taishan shipments entered Port Everglades, totaling 3 million pounds.
It was New York’s ports that experienced perhaps the most activity when it came to Taishan drywall. In 2006 and 2007, ships bearing the company’s wallboard docked at least two dozen times at ports there, carrying a total of more than 4.5 million pounds of the material.
In addition to being absent from the court proceedings, Taishan and its parent company BNBM also have been tight-lipped when it comes to questions from the media.
A representative of BNBM previously contacted at the company’s office in Beijing said the company had “set up a work group looking into the case,” but disputed the Taishan board was defective.
The company has since refused to respond to questions about its activities.
Among the photographs submitted Thursday was one of drywall bearing the brand name of BNBM itself — not its Taishan subsidiary — showing the parent company also has its own variety of board causing problems in the U.S.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090904/ARTICLE/909041046/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
Thousands of Americans say Chinese drywall is ruining their homes, making them ill
Saturday, August 29, 2009
By Cindy Skrzycki, GlobalPost
On the outside, they are new and sunny looking. On the inside, they are strange-smelling and rotting. These are the thousands of new houses built in the United States within the past few years that owners allege may contain yet another problem export from China: bad drywall.
Since 2006, new home owners in 23 states have been suffering from what they say are odorous batches of corrosive drywall that were imported from at least one gypsum mine in China and used by U.S home builders.
Owners say their houses smell like rotten eggs and are causing breathing problems and skin irritations. They worry their homes have become worthless, as air conditioners and other mechanical parts corrode and become nonfunctioning. The problem is thought to be high levels of sulfur-compound gases being released from the drywall.
Homes that are affected were built in the aftermath of hurricanes in 2005 when building booms in Florida and Louisiana contributed to domestic drywall shortages, causing suppliers to look to China.
Unlike other tainted imports from China — such as formula, toothpaste and pet food, which can be swiftly taken off retail shelves — gypsum drywall cannot be easily removed since it is behind walls and ceilings, affecting the performance of plumbing, wiring, and electrical systems.
Attorneys representing homeowners estimate more than 2,000 lawsuits already have been filed in state and federal courts, targeting Chinese, U.S. and German companies, as well as builders, installers, suppliers, distributors and import brokers.
“We expect about 20 manufacturers of Chinese drywall to be involved in these cases,” said Jeremy Alters, an attorney in Miami handling many of the cases. “There is no quality control in this drywall. It’s hard to believe no one knew it was bad. It is destroying homes and it will cost billions.”
One of the most prominent Chinese manufacturers named is Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. Others are Knauf Plasterboard Wuhu Co. Ltd and Knauf Plasterboard Dongguan Co. Ltd., as well as a German affiliate, Knauf Gips KG. There are numerous other Chinese companies being added to legal complaints as time goes on, such as Beijing New Building Material PLC.
So serious are the potential cost and health implications that several U.S. federal agencies, members of Congress, states and health and legal authorities are assessing the scope of the problem.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington is leading the investigation. It received permission from the Chinese government to send a team of scientists and compliance officials to China on Aug. 16 to investigate what is thought to be the source of the problem — the Luneng mine in Shandong province, and other mines in the area.
“To visit the mines that this came out of will be a valuable part of our investigation,” said Scott Wolfson, CPSC spokesman.
The agency estimates 6.2 million sheets of the drywall were imported into the United States. At least three dozen builders are involved, not counting those who went out of business during the current economic crisis.
Some 810 complaints have been filed with the CPSC.
“I have personally visited a number of these homes and have seen firsthand how serious this situation is for families living with this toxic drywall,” said Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla.
Mr. Wexler, a leader in the newly formed, 14-member Congressional Contaminated Drywall Caucus, said homeowners have reported bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, while “pregnant women have been instructed … to move out of their homes to avoid health risks to their unborn children.”
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09241/993994-28.stm#ixzz0PlDUc3Ri
Chinese Drywall Lawyers Appointed to Leadership Roles in Federal MDL
U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon has appointed 14 different Chinese drywall lawyers to serve in leadership roles in the consolidated litigation over defective drywall imported from China, which has been centralized in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
On June 15, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all cases filed throughout the country involving issues with Chinese drywall into an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation. The cases have been transferred to Judge Fallon for coordinated pretrial litigation and discovery, and Judge Fallon has indicated that he intends to fast track the litigation, with the first trials for Chinese drywall lawsuits potentially beginning within six months.
According to an order issued last week, Arnold Levin was appointed to serve as Lead Counsel for the plaintiffs, Russ Herman was appointed as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and twelve other lawyers were appointed to serve on a Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.
Thousands of homeowners have experienced problems with defective Chinese drywall that was used to build homes between 2004 and 2007. The drywall was imported from China as a result of a shortage of domestic drywall caused by a housing boom and rebuilding from several hurricanes.
The defective drywall contains sulfur compounds that can emit a “rotten egg” smell, corrode electrical appliances and wiring, and potentially cause health problems for residents. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that complaints have been received from homeowners in 21 states, with most of the complaints coming from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.
Although individual plaintiffs will continue to be represented by the Chinese drywall lawyers they retained to handle their cases, the attorneys assigned to leadership roles will perform duties during discovery, hearings and meetings that are for the common benefit of all plaintiffs whose cases have been consolidated before Judge Fallon.
The aggressive schedule laid out by Judge Fallon for moving the cases toward trial calls for each side to select 10 cases to begin early discovery, which will later be narrowed down to five cases for trial. The first cases will deal with property damage claims only, because they can be resolved quicker than the Chinese drywall injury lawsuits.
While the litigation is ongoing, lawmakers have been trying to find relief for homeowners affected by the Chinese drywall problems. Last Tuesday, Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to President Brack Obama asking for the White House to mobilize federal resources and asking that the president create a federal Drywall Assistance Center where homeowners can find information on federal resources and the status of drywall investigations.
Nelson also specifically asked Obama to look into homeowner assistance grants and other grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and suggested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could assist with relocation of homeowners affected by defective Chinese drywall.
http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/chinese-drywall-lawyers-appointed-to-leadership-in-mdl-5201/
Chinese Drywall Help Sought from White House, Federal Agencies
A group of U.S. Senators sent out a series of letters yesterday – including one that went to the White House – asking for more action on the Chinese drywall problem. Similar letters were sent to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Consumer Products Safety Commission has received 681 complaints from residents of 22 states regarding Chinese drywall. The most reports – 510 – have come from Florida. Homeowners have complained that fumes from the Chinese drywall produce a “rotten eggs” odor that permeates their homes, and causes metal, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. Eye irritation, sinus problems and respiratory symptoms have also been reported among people living in homes containing Chinese drywall.
Recently, tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that Chinese-manufactured drywall contained elevated levels of strontium sulfide, as well as several organic compounds associated with the production of acrylic paint which were not present in samples of U.S.-made drywall. Recently, some concerns have arisen that some Chinese drywall could also be radioactive. According to an LA Times investigation, some Chinese drywall manufacturers used phosphogypsum – a radioactive phosphorous substance – to manufacture wallboard. At least four manufacturers told the Times that drywall made with phosphogypsum was shipped to the U.S. in 2006. Phosphogypsum contains radium which, over time, can increase lung cancer risks. Phosphogypsum has been banned in the U.S. for use in construction since 1989.
The letter to the White House was sent by Senator Bill Nelson, D-FL. According to Herald-Tribune.com, Nelson asked the Obama Administration to take a more active role in dealing with the Chinese drywall debacle. “What urgently is needed now is White House mobilization and coordination of all federal resources that can help homeowners,” Nelson wrote.
Nelson joined three other senators, Mary Landrieu D-LA, Mark Warner, D-VA., and Jim Webb, D-VA. – in writing to the other government agencies. According to Herald-Tribune.com, the Senators have asked the Small Business Administration to investigate if disaster relief loans could be made available to some Chinese drywall victims, and whether governors in states with drywall problems could declare a “physical disaster declaration”.
The letters to the Treasury and HUD sought financial relief for homeowners who have been forced to leave their homes and must pay both rent and mortgagee payments, Herald-Tribune.com said.
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/10121
Chinese Drywall Suit Scheduled for Trial September 2010
The trial date for a Chinese drywall suit in Florida is scheduled for later next year, making it potentially the first in a series of cases that will be submitted to a jury involving damages caused by the toxic drywall.
The Miami Herald reports that the lawsuit over Chinese drywall brought by Melissa and Jason Harrell against South Kendall Construction, Palm Holdings, Keys Gate Realty and Banner Supply Co. will go to trial in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in September 2010.
The Harrells’ complaint alleges that defective drywall from China contained high amounts of sulfur, which caused breathing problems and headaches, corroded the coils of their air conditioner and filled their home with a chemical smell. The suit indicates that conditions caused by the defective drywall forced them to move out of their new home, which was built only three years ago.
Thousands of homes across the United States have experienced similar problems from Chinese drywall imported into the country between 2004 and 2007. The drywall was made with fly ash residue from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants, and has been found to contain high amounts of sulfur compounds. Some estimates suggest that the drywall may have been used to build as many as 300,000 homes throughout the country.
The high levels of sulfur in the drywall have been found to cause “rotten egg” smells and the gases emitted by the drywall corrode copper wiring and appliances, such as air conditioner units. There have also been concerns that the drywall is causing health problems such as headaches, breathing difficulties, insomnia and nosebleeds.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) ordered that all Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal courts throughout the country will be consolidated and centralized in the Eastern District of Louisiana for pretrial litigation. The cases will be handled in a coordinated manner to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent pretrial rulings. However, no case management order has been issued for the federal lawsuits and it is not anticipated that the first trial date will be scheduled before the end of next year.
While the Chinese drywall suits are proceeding through the court system, lawmakers are seeking several avenues for home owner relief. House and Senate Democrats are currently investigating whether Chinese drywall problems will qualify home owners for special tax deductions under casualty loss tax code laws, and Senators Bill Nelson and Mary Landrieu have called for a Chinese drywall recall.
http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/chinese-drywall-suit-scheduled-for-trial-4623/
US Consumer Product Saftey Commission Launches a new website
CPSC Launches a new website to help homeowners keep track of the agency’s investigation into toxic drywall manufactured in China. The CPSC has only received 365 reports from residents in 18 states. If you have not filed a complaint please click here to do so.