For homeowners suffering from fume-emitting Chinese drywall in their homes there’s no quick relief, no action they can take right now beyond alerting some government agencies. That’s according to drywall expert Karen M. Scott, who spoke to about 50 …
With myriad lawsuits being filed across the country related to the growing problem of defective drywall, a panel of federal judges is now set to decide where all of the cases will be centralized.
The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation — known as the MDL panel — held a hearing in Louisville, Ky., this week on Chinese drywall.
The federal courtroom in Louisville was packed Wednesday with dozens of lawyers from at least a half-dozen states, all of whom had an interest in the seven-judge panel’s ruling, expected in about two weeks.
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WASHINGTON — Nancy Nord, the acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission who has been blasted in recent months for her handling of the tainted Chinese drywall issue, will be handing over the reins to fellow commissioner Thomas Moore next week.
Moore will take over as acting head on June 1 until a new chair can be confirmed by the Senate. In a statement, Nord said she plans to keep her position as commissioner until the end of her term in 2012.
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WASHINGTON – Prodded by Congress, the federal investigation into tainted Chinese drywall has shifted into overdrive. A sample of homes in Florida will be tested in June.
Consumer-protection leaders plan to consult Chinese technical experts to help track down the source of health problems that may be caused by drywall imported from China.
The Senate was to vote Thursday on a bill containing $2 million to fully investigate the matter and raise public awareness.
Health and consumer-protection officials pointed to a flurry of actions on Thursday to reassure an impatient Senate panel that they are moving as fast as possible. But they offered no plan or timetable for bringing relief to the thousands of homeowners who may be affected.
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WASHINGTON — At the request of United States Senators Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., the Senate Commerce Committee today held a public hearing to learn more about problems caused by tainted Chinese drywall and federal agencies’ proposed response to protect consumers. Because thousands of Louisiana homes may contain the defective product, the Commerce Committee allowed Sen. Landrieu to attend and discuss the impact on Louisiana homeowners.
“This defective Chinese drywall is the latest in an unfortunate pattern of inferior and dangerous products coming into this country,” Sen. Landrieu told the Committee today. “This is very concerning to our constituents and they are turning to Congress for answers. Louisiana is second to Florida in the number of homes affected by this particular product, and my office has received numerous complaints. Louisianians are looking to this committee for action and support.”
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VIRGINIA BEACH : The City Council voted Tuesday night to ban the use of Chinese drywall in the city. The resolution comes a week after the Norfolk City Council took the same action.
Councilman Jim Wood, who introduced the resolution, said the ban is a “stopgap measure” until federal regulatory agencies can deem the product safe.
The drywall, which emits a sulfuric acid and has been blamed for damaging air condition systems and wiring, also has been found in housing developments in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and northeastern North Carolina.
SEBRING — The decision of U.S. construction companies to use millions of pounds of Chinese made drywall during the housing boom continues to haunt those living in the houses, including at least one family in Highlands County.
Since building materials were in short supply, some contractors in the southeast turned to the product from China as a cheap replacement
Ryan and Mary Willis had their house constructed in 2006 with the defective drywall, and after three years continue to suffer because of the manufacturers mistake.
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PICAYUNE — More reports of homes in Pearl River County with Chinese drywall used in their construction have been recorded in Berrywood Estates.
Eddie Raffo, a Berrywood homeowner, said he has become aware that his home contains the drywall, which has caused damage to two air conditioning components and his electrical wiring.
A number of the residents in that subdivision relocated to Picayune when Hurricane Katrina damaged their homes in St. Bernard Parish, La., said Raffo’s son, Chris.
“All these people were hit with tragedy, now they’re hit with this,” Chris Raffo said.
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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.
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The Environ-mental Protection Agency has found sulfur and other materials in a small sampling of Chinese-made drywall, which some officials and residents blame for sickening fumes and corroding metal in homes in several states.
Several federal and state agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating complaints that the drywall is causing health problems and two U.S. senators who released the report Tuesday said it sheds light on what was in the material.
The EPA tested Chinese-made wallboard in two Florida homes and besides sulfur, also discovered two organic compounds associated with acrylic paint.
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