Posts Tagged ‘Consumer Product Safety Commission’
Chinese Drywall News Alerts
| Miami-Dade Officials Announce Drywall Assistance Poder 360 Miami-Dade County homeowners with Chinese drywall issues will receive financial help from the county on the toxic situation. County officials have reported … |
| Drywall victims get break MiamiHerald.com … are related to faulty Chinese drywall won’t have to pay any permitting fees to repair their homes, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said Thursday. … |
| Property appraiser trying to figure way to help tainted drywall victims Palm Beach Post More Money news » From The Post and AP By Jennifer Sorentrue More than 500 Palm Beach County homeowners whose property is tainted with Chinese drywall have … |
| Miami-Dade to help Chinese drywall victims Bizjournals.com Homeowners dealing with Chinese drywall can also try to get their property taxes reduced. Unlike the county permit program, which mostly applies to … |
| IRS: Tax deduction may go to homeowners with tainted Chinese drywall Scripps News The IRS statement comes a week after federal investigators issued a study concluding that there was a “strong association” between tainted Chinese drywall … |
| Gulfport Chinese drywall lawsuit could be among first in federal court WLOX By Trang Pham-Bui – bio | email GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) – A Gulfport couple hopes its lawsuit against a major manufacturer of defective Chinese drywall will be … |
| Congress Takes on Chinese Drywall Housing Wire These are the latest legislative actions taken by Congress to address the Chinese drywall situation. A Consumer Product Safety Commission-led task force, … |
| House Passes Chinese Drywall Resolution RealEstateRama … resolving this problem,†said Posey who recently toured several homes in Indian River County that have been affected by contaminated Chinese drywall. … |
| House Passes Glenn Nye’s Resolution to Aid Toxic Drywall Victims RealEstateRama … in Hampton Roads affected by toxic drywall. “I have seen firsthand the physical, emotional, and financial burden toxic Chinese drywall creates,†said … |
Nelson seeks China cooperation on drywall
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said in a media release Tuesday he pressed Chinese officials in recent trips there to cooperate more fully in investigations of defective high-sulfur drywall that was made in China and is ruining homes in the United States.
Nelson’s remarks came immediately before a separate journey to China this week by a delegation of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is investigating hundreds of complaints from homeowners in Florida and elsewhere about the ill effects of drywall made in China.
According to Nelson’s statement, the trips send a message that the United States is serious about China taking responsibility for some the problems caused by its drywall. Nelson said in the release he intends to insist that drywall be on the agenda for planned meetings this fall between President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/08/17/daily34.html
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
Another round of Chinese drywall testing nearly complete
By Aaron Kessler
ORLANDO – The Florida Department of Health is nearly complete with another round of drywall testing aimed at zeroing in further on what contaminants in Chinese wallboard may be responsible for emitting volatile sulfur gases.
Lori Streit, with Illinois-based Unified Engineering, conducted the first lab tests for the state published in March. Those tests found hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide coming from several Chinese drywall samples taken from Florida homes.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090604/BREAKING/906049944/1006/SPORTS0301
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.
Building Industry Experts Join Forces to Find Solutions to Toxic Chinese Drywall Problem
One of the leading forensic experts on building envelope water intrusion and toxic mold, Spiderman Mulholland, is joining forces with a network of professionals to combat the Toxic Chinese Drywall issues facing the United States today.
Collaborating with top toxicologists, chemists, material and building scientists, forensic investigators, remediation and construction specialists and individuals with laboratory and inspection expertise is essential to the research efforts.
The group intends to plan and implement a cost-effective program aimed at battling the crisis that has impacted 41 states.
Mulholland, a leading expert witness in Toxic Chinese Drywall cases, is currently developing protocols for inspections and remediation.
“Our main focus is being driven by the needs of homeowners and the serious life-safety issues we believe could be critical to their well-being,” Mulholland said.
Chinese drywall was installed in more than 100,000 homes between 2004 and 2006. Among the highly toxic compounds being found are hydrogen sulfide, sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide and carbon disulfide. Prolonged exposure can cause serious problems to the nervous system.
The manufacturer has acknowledged that the drywall is defective, but emphasizes that not all China drywall from that period is tainted. Recent findings show that some U.S. stamped drywall may also be toxic.
Given the rise in health complaints, residents are advised to be aware of symptoms including nose bleeds, headaches, coughs, upper respiratory or sinus issues, eye irritation, fatigue, difficulty breathing, body aches and rashes.
Physical evidence includes HVAC-unit failure or electrical appliances, copper coils turning black, corroded electrical wiring, tarnished silver jewelry or utensils and light bulbs burning out at a faster rate.
Although the smell of rotten eggs in a home could indicate a toxic drywall problem, Mulholland’s investigations show that is not always the case.
Some groups are relying on air sampling methods to determine drywall problems; however that method is unreliable, Mulholland says.
Mulholland’s company, US Building Consultants Inc. has an accredited testing facility that can determine toxic-drywall problems. He inspects and consults in drywall cases.
Sen. Aronberg calls for drywall task force
South Florida Business Journal – by Paul Brinkmann
Florida Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, is recommending a statewide plan he believes will protect homeowners from problems with Chinese drywall, as well as create a uniform standard to restore and repair affected homes.
Aronberg, who announced the plan on Friday with the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, said he would send a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist, asking him to appoint a special task force.
The task force, he said, should include health experts, representatives of the homebuilding industry, consumer advocates, scientists and representatives of drywall manufacturers. The focus would be on making recommendations for removing and replacing drywall, and for what new laws or regulations might be needed, Aronberg said.
“Expensive and lengthy litigation is not the answer,” he said. “We need consumer protection laws.”
If the state government doesn’t act, Aronberg said it is possible that local government will enact ordinances that could be conflicting or confusing,
“There’s a lot of concern — and it’s justified — but we need to make sure we’re not going to have a wave of hysteria,” he said.
The defective, high-sulfur drywall gives off fumes, resulting in a “rotten egg” odor and metal corrosion, especially in air conditioners. The Florida Department of Health has received 265 complaints about Chinese drywall since January. It has set up a Web site for consumers with pictures to determine if their home has Chinese drywall.
Most of the complaints have come from South or Southwest Florida, including 26 from Palm Beach County, 24 from Broward, and 20 from Miami-Dade.
In mid-February, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was investigating the problem. In March, the University of Florida’s Rinker School of Building Construction said it was starting a preliminary study of its own.
Several builders have acknowledged that the problem drywall was installed in their homes. Miami-based Lennar Corp. has a program to remove the drywall.
Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, a division of the Knauf Group in Germany, has acknowledged some of its drywall imported to the U.S. in 2006 is associated with complaints of odors and metal corrosion, but the company has said the problem was tied to gypsum from one natural gypsum mine in Tianjin, China, which is no longer used.