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Senator: Florida Faces Chinese Drywall 'Hysteria'

Pressure builds for quick action on complaints of contaminated drywall

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 19, 2009

Chinese Drywall • Louisiana Files Chinese Drywall Suit • Chinese Drywall Class Action Filed • Feds Find Link Between Chinese Drywall And Corrosion In Homes • Feds Hoping China Will Smooth Over Drywall Damage • Another Chinese Drywall Suit Filed • Bill in Congress Would Ban Substandard Drywall, Steel, Cement • Scam Artists Profit from Chinese Drywall Fears • Senator: Florida Faces Chinese Drywall 'Hysteria' • Senators Call for Halt to Drywall Importation • Chinese Drywall a Threat to Homeowners? --- • Knauf Drywall Complaints

Quick action is needed to avoid "a wave of hysteria" over Chinese drywall, according to a Florida state senator. More than 250 Florida homeowners claim that Chinese drywall has made them sick and multiple class action lawsuits have been filed.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist should convene a task force to study the problem, State Sen. Dave Aronberg said. The task force’s mission should be to determine the best way to remove and replace any defective drywall, and recommend whether new or revised state laws or regulations are needed, he said in a conference call with reporters.

"We need results urgently," said Aronberg, a lawyer, according to the Palm Beach Post. "Lengthy litigation and lawsuits are not in the best interest of Florida homeowners, who need help now."

Two U.S. Senators have already called for a ban on the importation of Chinese drywall, as reports of damage spread to five states. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced a bill seeking a recall of affected drywall and a temporary ban on all drywall imported from China.

Nelson has called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to determine the cause and scope of the problem, and to initiate a recall if necessary. He also called on the agency to draw up general drywall safety standards, noting that such regulations are not currently in place.

The CPSC began an investigation in February, which is continuing. The agency is trying to determine if consumers' problems are caused by sulfur-based gases coming from the drywall. If it finds a problem, the commission can place a moratorium on sales of some drywall.

Most of the complaints so far have come from Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia, where builders weren't able to get enough domestic drywall to keep up with demand during the housing boom of the last decade. They turned to imported drywall from China, which many consumers say is contaminated with a sulfur compound that produces a rotten-egg smell and causes headaches, difficulty breathing and other health problems.

Aronberg and Walter Dartland, executive director of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, said the task force would be a logical next step in the state’s attempt to deal with the problem. Crist's office said he is monitoring the situation and the state health department says it is planning to take air samples from homes containing Chinese drywall to determine how serious the problem really is.

The department earlier said it has determined that Chinese drywall, unlike its American-made counterpart, contains the compound strontium sulfide, which lets off the rotten egg smell reported by so many consumers.

In their bill, Sens. Nelson and Landrieu want the CPSC to study 10 samples imported from China since 2004 and used in houses in the affected states. They are also asking the Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance, including mortgage relief, to affected homeowners. The senators note that in addition to the cost of repair, most affected homes have decreased in value. Under the proposal, the costs would be borne by the responsible parties, not American taxpayers.

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