Chinese Drywall Answers

A Florida lawmaker is pushing the state legislature to act on the Chinese drywall crisis. According to Bradenton.com, Sen. David Aronberg, D-Greenacres, says he is tired of waiting for the state’s governor and the federal government to do something about the Chinese drywall problem that is plaguing thousands of Florida homeowners.

Of the more than 2,700 complaints regarding Chinese drywall made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), most – 1,615 – have come from Florida. Chinese drywall poured into the U.S. between 1999 and 2007 because of the high demand created by the housing boom. Imports accelerated when the rebuilding that followed Hurricane Charley in Florida in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005, created a drywall shortage. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal report, some 500 million pounds of Chinese drywall was imported to the U.S. during the housing boom. That means as many as 100,000 homes throughout the country could have been built with the material. …

Medallion Homes, a Bradenton, Florida-based builder, has been added to the list of those firms known to have used Chinese drywall. According to a report on Herald-Tribune.com, Medallion Homes used Chinese drywall manufactured by Knauf Tianjin Plasterboard Ltd. Co. in at least three homes.

Just last month, Knauf was named in a massive class action lawsuit that involves nearly 2100 plaintiffs from Florida, Mississippi and Alabama, and 600 other defendants. That lawsuit, and other Chinese drywall lawsuits pending in federal court, were consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana over the summer. The first bellwether trials in the litigation are slated to begin in January. …

In the wake of the Chinese drywall debacle, Florida state lawmakers are considering bills that would impose new standards for wallboard used in construction in the state. Florida has been the hardest hit of the dozens of states impacted by the Chinese drywall scandal.

Of the more than 2,700 complaints regarding Chinese drywall made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), most – 1,615 – have come from Florida. Gases emitted from Chinese drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. People living with Chinese drywall have also suffered eye, respiratory and sinus problems that may be linked to the gases. …

Chinese drywall was apparently used in more than 600 New Orleans homes built by nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity, following Hurricane Katrina. That tally includes about half of the 72 single-family homes and five duplexes in the “Musician’s Village,” one of Habitat’s most successful post-Katrina rebuilding projects.

Hurricane Katrina was a major factor in the development of the Chinese drywall crisis. The massive rebuilding that followed the 2005 storm, along with the housing boom that was in full swing at the time, helped create the shortage of U.S.-produced drywall that led to the large-scale importation of Chinese wallboard. Of the 2,702 Chinese drywall complaints made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 500 originated with Louisiana homeowners. Many of the homes in the state rebuilt after Katrina, especially in and around New Orleans, contain Chinese drywall. …