Posts Tagged ‘U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’
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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CPSC Press Statement Regarding Drywall and Phosphogypsum
Responding to recent news accounts about the possibility of imported drywall containing
radioactive phosphogypsum, federal and state agency radiation laboratories analyzed
multiple samples of drywall obtained by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) and the Florida Department of Health (FLDOH).
Twenty-one samples were analyzed from homes and manufacturers of drywall. Seventeen were obtained by CPSC
from manufacturers and suppliers in multiple states, and four were obtained by FLDOH
from homes exhibiting copper corrosion, odors and occupant complaints. Results of the
phosphogypsum testing showed levels that do not pose a radiation safety risk to families.
FLDOH’s Radiation Laboratory and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) analyzed the samples
for evidence of phosphogypsum contamination. Evaluation of the analysis by a federal
and state technical team of scientists from CPSC, EPA, FLDOH, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR), Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and Virginia Department of
Health has concluded that the samples had no elevated levels of radioactivity. The levels
were comparable to “background” levels found in soil, brick and concrete.
Investigators to get more money for tainted Chinese drywall
By ALLISON ROSS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate committee on appropriations has allocated a $9.6 million increase in funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, citing in part the agency’s need to investigate tainted drywall products.
In the 2010 Financial Services Appropriations Bill, which was approved by the senate committee last Thursday, the CPSC was given $115 million – a 9.1 percent increase over last year’s funding and $8 million more than what the agency had requested for its budget.
“Families … across the country have seen their dream homes turn into nightmares because of this defective Chinese drywall,” Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said in a statement praising the increased funding.
Some drywall imported from China between 2000 and 2008 has been found to give off sulfuric odors thought to corrode metal components in homes such as air-conditioning coils, silver frames and copper wiring. Some homeowners have blamed it for respiratory trouble, nosebleeds, headaches and other health problems.
In addition, other homeowners have claimed that some American-made drywall gives off the same sulfuric odors.
The U.S. House committee on appropriations also has approved increased funding for the CPSC, which is the lead governmental agency investigating the tainted drywall issue.
According to a press release from that committee, the CPSC was allocated $113 million for the 2010 fiscal year – an $8 million increase above last year and $6 million more than the budget request.
The statement from the House committee said part of that money should be used to expand the Import Safety Initiative, which puts CPSC inspectors at key U.S. ports.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2009/07/13/drywallfunding13.html
Lennar Tots Up Chinese Drywall Damage
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
Lennar Corp. has identified about 400 homes in Florida that have confirmed problems with defective Chinese drywall and has set aside $39.8 million to repair the homes, the Miami-based home builder said in a securities filing Friday.
The figures are as of May 31, Lennar said.
Complaints about odors and corrosion blamed on defective drywall have been increasing for months. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CSPC, said in a letter to four U.S. Senators earlier this week that it has received more than 600 complaints relating to this drywall issue from 21 states and the District of Columbia. Most of the reports are from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.
Lennar and some other builders have been forced to gut homes, mostly built in 2006 and 2007, to replace drywall, wiring and other fixtures.
Lennar said that it hasn’t yet found defective Chinese drywall in homes it built outside of Florida and that it isn’t yet able to “reasonably estimate its future exposure” to the problem, which has led to a spate of lawsuits against drywall suppliers and builders.
The builder said it has a $20.7 million receivable for covered damages under its insurance policies. Lennar said it is seeking reimbursement from subcontractors, insurers and others for costs the company expects to face in investigating the problems and repairing damaged homes.
Drywall, also known as wallboard, is made from gypsum coated with paper and is used in walls and ceilings.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124726920245725829.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Nelson: Chinese drywall tests confirm differences
South Florida Business Journal – by Paul Brinkmann
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests of high-sulfur Chinese drywall have confirmed differences between the imported material and U.S.-made drywall, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Tuesday.
The new EPA tests showed the Chinese-made drywall contained sulfur that was not in U.S. drywall, strontium (a metallic element) at levels 10 times as high as in U.S. drywall and two other organic compounds generally found in acrylic paint that were not detected in any U.S.-made wallboard, according to a news release.
“We now know there are three things in there that aren’t in other drywall samples,” Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said in the release. “We’ve got the what, and now we need the why and how do we fix it? In the end, I think all this stuff is going to have to be ripped out.”
Nelson’s office said the EPA has determined more tests are needed, including air sampling in affected houses, to determine whether the drywall is the cause of corroded wiring and appliances and the alleged health problems. Nelson said he and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, will file an amendment to pending legislation to provide emergency funds for further investigation and continued testing.
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/05/18/daily29.html
Chinese drywall hits health, wallets, homeowners say
PARKLAND, Florida (CNN) — Sherri and Ira Rojhani stopped paying the mortgage on their 2-year-old South Florida home in April, victims not of a troubled economy, but, they say, of drywall from China that they believe is making them sick.
They join a growing list of homeowners in 13 states who face foreclosure or the prospect of paying both their mortgage and rent on alternate housing as they seek relief from what they describe as corrosive gasses emitted from the Chinese drywall. The drywall is now the subject of several scientific studies.
“Families are being forced to make health decisions based on financial consideration, and that is fundamentally flawed,” said Sherri Rojhani, a homeowner in Parkland, Florida. “We shouldn’t be in a position to stay in a home, based on our health,” she said.
Homeowners allege the gas is causing home appliances and copper wiring to fail and causes chronic, long-term upper respiratory infections.
Federal authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are studying the possible health effects of the drywall. Most of their results are still some time off.
On Tuesday the EPA announced that it found sulfur, a corrosive material, in the Chinese drywall samples it tested and that sulfur was not found in the U.S. manufactured drywall samples it also tested. The EPA also found strontium in the Chinese drywall at levels about 10 times higher than in the U.S. drywall. Strontium is a metal often used in manufacturing the glass for television screens.
The EPA also detected two elements typically found in acrylic paints in the Chinese drywall but not in the U.S. drywall.
The EPA said these results are not intended to establish a definitive link between the drywall and the conditions being found by homeowners in their homes.
Chinese drywall concerns head to Capitol Hill
The first congressional hearings on Chinese drywall will be held on Capitol Hill next week.
The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance plans to meet at 10:30 a.m. on May 21.
The committee will investigate health and product safety issues associated with the drywall.
High-sulfur Chinese drywall has been blamed for fumes that cause an odor of rotten eggs, metal corrosion and alleged health problems in thousands of homes, mostly in the Southeast, and especially in Florida.
The growing product liability crisis has spawned federal and state lawsuits, including individual actions and class actions. The Florida Department of Health is tracking 365 reported complaints and investigating. The 
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is also investigating.
File a Complaint
If you suspect your home has the bad drywall and want to file a complaint, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by clicking here. You also can call 1-800-638-2772.
Click Here To File A Consumer Product Incident Report
You can also reach out to the Florida Office of Attorney General by clicking here or calling 1-866-966-7226.
FILE A COMPLAINT WITH EVERYONE BELOW. THE CPSC TO DATE HAS ONLY RECIEVED 180 REPORTS FROM RESIDENTS IN 13 STATES.
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Legislator’s Name
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Florida Department of Health, HSEC corrosioninvestigation@doh.state.fl.us
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U.S. Senate |
Senator Bill Nelson (D) |
3416 S. University Drive Web: http://billnelson.senate.gov/ Phone: (954) 693-4851
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U.S. House of Representatives |
Congressman Ron Klein (D) |
1900 Glades Road, Suite 260 http://www.klein.house.gov/content/contact/
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Consumer Product Incident Report |
Federal |
info@cpsc.gov- report by email or 800-638-2772 Report drywall, electrical , plumbing (water leaks) ,health issues |
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U.S. House of Representatives |
Rep. Robert Wexler (D) |
2500 N. Military Trial, #100 http://wexler.house.gov/index.shtml Phone: (561) 988-6302
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Florida Governor |
Governor Charlie Crist (R) |
Office of the Governor Phone: (850) 488-4441
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State |
Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) |
Office of the Attorney General Phone: (850) 487-1963 ag.mccollum@myfloridalegal.com
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Rep. Joseph Abruzzo |
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Senator |
15340 Jog Road, Suite 201 |
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Commissioner |
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