Fla. to test air in homes with Chinese drywall (35,000 houses)

[ensho]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090418/ap_on_re_us/chinese_drywall;_ylt=AvJ24DZdJXGRWVoS7.RjFoys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFpcWRzamlyBHBvcwMyNwRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX21vc3RfcG9wdWxhcgRzbGsDZmxhdG90ZXN0YWly


Officials in Florida will soon begin air quality tests in homes to determine whether fumes emitted from Chinese-made drywall can make people sick, the state Health Department said Friday.

Agency spokesman Doc Kokol said the tests, which he hopes will begin in several weeks, are complex and have never been done before.

"This is new science, nobody has tested drywall like this," he said.

An Associated Press review of shipping records found more than 540 million pounds of plasterboard was imported from China between 2004 and 2008 to meet U.S. demand during the national housing boom. Hundreds of people nationwide are now complaining that the material emits fumes that make them sick. They claim it also corrodes copper pipes, blackens jewelry and silverware and ruins air conditioners.

Estimates indicate the drywall may be in more than 100,000 homes, more than 35,000 in Florida alone. The state Health Department has logged 265 complaints so far. Lawsuits against the Chinese manufacturers, builders and suppliers have been filed in several states, including Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

-snip-

Crist and Gov. Bobby Jindal in Louisiana, where the drywall turned up in some homes rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, have asked for assistance with chemical testing from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legislation also has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate, calling for a temporary ban on the Chinese-made imports until more is known about their chemical makeup.
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if it corrodes copper pipes and ruins a.c.s, what in hell does it do to human lungs.


will there be a lab that can really do the testing of 100,000 or more houses?

[tridim]

1. And if we find out it is killing people..

Then what?

[ensho]

2. pass health care for everybody as soon as possible

nt

[madrchsod]

3. tell the chineses leaders we are sorry for bringing up the "problem"?

[SandWalker1984]

4. Ground Zero for Chinese Drywall

I live in the Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, area - ground zero for where the Chinese drywall problems were first discovered and reported.

3 builders are now facing serious financial problems because of the potential lawsuits. They, of course, are claiming it's not their fault and are blaming the drywall manufacturers.

One of the main Chinese drywall manufacturers is claiming studies they have conducted to date do not indicate any health issues.

The people that bought these homes are not only dealing with metal corrosion issues, many are having health issues. Some so severe that they had to move from their homes -- homes they cannot sell, even at give away prices. Some owners claim even their pets are suffering breathing issues when inside these homes.

Unfortunately, it may take years to sort all of this out. The home buyers will get the short end of the stick while lawyers will collect big paychecks from the builders' insurance companies. We will all pay higher insurance rates in Florida to make up for it.

....and the Chinese drywall companies? Who here thinks anything will actually happen to them?

NAFTA, the gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving.