Articles Posted in Chinese Drywall

The Bradenton Herald had an interesting piece that really clarifies how big the next few months are for those involved in Chinese drywall. Whether it’s the escalation of pre-trial matters in the federal litigation involving the toxic wallboard or foreign diplomacy, things are shaping up quickly.

The Herald reports

Within the next few weeks, officials expect to determine how much of a fire hazard, if any, the contaminated product poses. They’ll also have a better idea of how much the drywall contaminates the air inside affected homes. A federal judge is expected to decide which of the several hundred lawsuits that have been filed over the product will be the first to go to trial.

With the disaster that Chinese drywall has become in the Gulf Coast and in other places across the country, homeowners are scrambling to find out if they have been afflicted with the toxic wallboard. With such urgency and panic, many have pursued cheaper manners of testing to avoid being buried underneath further bills. While remedies have been advertised that have since been found to be questionable solutions at best, the industry keeps churning out alternatives to true home detection services by professionals.

The St Petersburg Times reports on one possible scanner that shows promise but remains unregulated

A possible, less expensive testing solution may be on the horizon. New businesses are offering a noninvasive scan of homes throughout Tampa Bay and across the state for $500, using a handheld tool that can help identify the corrosive gases emitted by Chinese drywall.

Hoping to increase the awareness of officials as well as the public in regards to Chinese drywall, Louisiana State Senator Julie Quinn is hosting a panel meeting to discuss the issue of Chinese drywall in Louisiana. The effort, which will be intended by Quinn as well as Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon and representatives of various insurance companies, is being held to allow citizens to explain their plights to those involved in the decision making process.

Details are as follows

LOUISIANA STATE SENATE INSURANCE COMMITTEE MEETING DECEMBER 2, 2009

Very unsettling news emerged early this week that insurers within Louisiana were canceling policies of those homeowners with Chinese drywall. While this had been hinted at in Florida, some insurers eventually backed down. This does not seem to be the case in Louisiana, though. The Times-Picayune reports

In August, Tamara Thomas filed a claim with her homeowners insurance company after discovering that her air conditioning and other appliances had failed because her three-year-old home was filled with defective drywall made in China.

But before the Hanover Insurance Group even denied the claim, as most insurers have been doing with claims for Chinese drywall damage, it canceled her policy, effective Nov. 19.

In an email to individuals who have signed up for updates from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum reveals a flurry of activity the government has carried out in testing and identifying Chinese drywall. While the email largely covers topics that have been posted on this blog, the amount that has been done by the government and efforts undertaken is a positive sign that the issue is being taken seriously and results will emerge eventually.

CPSC actions include the following:

1. To date, we have received nearly 1900 complaints from residents in 30 states about health and corrosion symptoms.

The New York Times’ financial section, interestingly enough, did a report on how to know if your home contains Chinese drywall. While most of the signs have been featured in this blog, there are certain tips and tricks the article mentions that are unique and clever for detecting the presence of the dangerous gases that the toxic wallboard emits.

Jennifer Saranow Schultz notes

If your home has central air-conditioning, Danny Lipford, a television home improvement expert, recommends hanging a piece of silver jewelry or a silver utensil on a string in front of the return air filter and watching it over a few days to see if it corrodes. It’s a trick he learned about at a recent industry event.

Positive news for those looking for a federal response and action behind the Chinese drywall matter emerged this weekend with a Consumers Product Safety Commission report with a very notable inclusion. As reported by Sarasota’s Herald Tribune, buried within a long, 500-page report on Chinese drywall is a possible health diagnosis for the problems homeowners with the toxic import have been experiencing.

The Herald Tribune notes

The report issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other agencies posits that victims might be experiencing “neurogenic inflammation” brought on by the “trigeminal nerve,” which branches out behind the face and throat with exposed endings in the nose.

In what may be a smoking gun of the evidentiary sort, federal investigators have found a chemical difference in the composure of Chinese drywall when compared to those products made within the country. While the discovery has yet to be the clear-cut indictment of the manufacturers of the imported wallboard, it is significant because it shows a clear difference between that drywall causing problems and domestic drywall that remains to be safe and not a cause for concern.

The New York Times reports

Federal investigators reported Thursday that imported Chinese drywall that homeowners have linked to health problems and odors had higher levels of some chemicals than its domestic counterparts.

The Virginia-Pilot profiles a few families harmed by Chinese drywall and the struggle they face in this dire time period. Within this piece is an interesting statement by a local elected official appealing to banks to avoid foreclosure on uninhabitable properties that have Chinese drywall installed within them.

The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating air-quality issues related to the drywall and plans to release some of its findings today and additional reports in the coming weeks. Several local homeowners also have sued the companies that manufactured and imported the drywall.

In the meantime, dozens of families across Hampton Roads face a dilemma similar to the Dunaways’: Continue to live in a home that could be making them sick, or move out and stack a rent payment on top of the mortgage bill.