Insurance Dispute Lawyer Blog

While much to do has been made of the potential health problems associated with exposure to Chinese drywall, experts have begun looking into the issues caused by the use of these materials. Gary Rosen, Ph.D., has tendered a study on Chinese drywall that exposes the structural side of these building materials and certain items are worth noting. His Q&A regarding Chinese drywall answers several questions about the wallboard and exposes problems that might not be immediately considered.

First, the identification of Chinese drywall can help home or property owners in their pursuit of answers. According to Rosen, “All US drywall has special markings on the edge tape. If there is no writing on the edge tape indicating an American brand, or the edge tape is generic looking either clear/milky plastic, or plain white paper this would rule out American drywall.” As such, because of the specific labeling of U.S. drywall, that wallboard that stands out as without these elements should be looked into further. One brand of problematic drywall, Knauf brand, has the name ‘KNAUF’ stamped on the back. It is important to note, however, that NOT all Chinese drywall is considered problematic but, rather, has been ISO approved, such as the BNBM drywall from Beijing.

Because of the variance that has been found in the test results of drywall considered problematic, Rosen avoids declaring Chinese wallboard a public health hazard just yet but focuses, instead, on the danger and dilemma created by the use of the material in construction. While he remains inconclusive on just how damaging the drywall may be to electrical fixtures and metal elements, Rosen, on the topic of replacing ‘good,’ non-harmful drywall used around the Chinese drywall, does state “no doubt removal of the drywall and replacement with new is the best approach.”

In a test report produced by the EPA, gases and materials toxic to humans were found within the Chinese drywall tested

The EPA did announce earlier in the week that samples of Chinese drywall contained elevated levels of sulfur, strontium, and organic material, reports the Miami Herald. This confirms the results of testing already conducted for the State of Florida at an independent Illinois laboratory, as noted by Coastal Connection on April 15th.

This test demonstrates that the federal government is now fully knowledgeable of the issues involved and that the pre-cursor test done in April has been verified. If you have or believe there to be Chinese drywall in your home, contact your builder and the Berniard Law Firm immediately to have experts handle your case properly. Delays in doing so can only be detrimental to your health and case and it is inherently important you utilize experts like those used by the Berniard Law Firm to handle your Chinese drywall case.

In some absolutely non-shocking news, the chair of the Consumer Safety Commission has stepped down in the wake of the Chinese Drywall disaster.

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.

The U.S. government has stepped forward to bring the law up to pace with protecting homeowners from unknown dangers from contractors.

U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), has introduced legislation to block the import of substandard building materials. Consumers in Florida and elsewhere complained of allergy-like symptoms apparently resulting from a sulfur compound wafting from Chinese drywall in their homes.

“Americans expect structural building materials to be safe and effective,” Stupak said. “Industry testing and recent media accounts indicate much of the building materials pouring into the United States from overseas, particularly from China, are unsafe and unreliable.”

A U.S. governmental agency confirms what U.S. homeowners already knew:

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.