The saga of contaminated drywall has been going on now for a few years since the problems were first discovered. For many home owners, there is no end in sight either. Thousands of home owners have been affected across the nation; many insurers will not cover the home owners’ expenses to get the materials replaced and many builders are refusing to address the problem or have gone bankrupt due to the current economy.
The problems that are plaguing homeowners are many; corrosive compounds emitted from the drywall causes a myriad of problems ranging from corroded copper wires and appliances to health concerns. The hydrogen sulphide reacts with many features in a home and its inhabitants, as well as creating an acrid smell that makes living in the home very unappealing. For many home owners, the stench from the tainted drywall has been so overwhelming that they have had to leave their homes. Because many families have had to find other accommodations while still paying mortgages on these corrosive homes, many of these home owners are now in dire financial straits.
Consumer Product Safety Commission has published a list of brands that show which brands of drywall are emitting the worst of the contaminants. They hope that pointing out the worst offenders maybe some resolution can be found to the problem, particularly since there has been so little acknowledgment from any of the Chinese companies thus far regarding this problem.
The CPSC would reportedly like the Chinese companies at fault to do “what is just and fair”, according to their chairperson Inez Tenenbaum, but how likely is this to happen when the US courts have no authority over Chinese companies? The Chinese government has been asked to facilitate between the consumer group and the drywall manufacturers, but only time will tell if anything comes out of that request.
This whole unfortunate situation with imported drywall highlights the fact that there needs to be more rigorous testing done on building materials imported from countries that may not have as stringent requirements as we have in our country. Particularly when it is obviously so difficult to get any sort of restitution out of a foreign manufacturer, it is especially important to make sure that the materials coming into the country are safe to construct homes with. A little foresight is more valuable than hindsight in these matters.
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