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CPSC Releases 2nd Chinese Drywall Report; Corrosion Link Cited

By Andy Hoffman

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) released a sequel to its previous report about Chinese drywall yesterday?and surprise, surprise, it found a ?strong association? between the chemicals in Chinese drywall and the corrosion of wires in proximity of the stuff.

The Council was somewhat more tentative when it came to addressing health concerns of those exposed to the drywall.  Said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson:  "We can say that we believe that there's a number of different chemicals that when brought together can be related to some of these irritant health effects that we've been getting reports of?.But we're still working toward that exact nexus."  However, the CPSC also advised those with Chinese drywall in their homes to ?[s]pend as much time outdoors in fresh air as possible.?

Meanwhile, the civil justice implications of these findings remain unclear. ?Thousands of homeowners who bought new houses built with the imported Chinese building product are finding their lives in limbo as hundreds of lawsuits against builders, contractors, suppliers and manufacturers wind through the courts.?  Yet just one manufacturer, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjian, has ?agreed to be served with a federal class-action lawsuit and not force plaintiffs to go through international legal channels.?  Still others ?with corrosive drywall from China in their homes are in a bind because their builders have gone bankrupt and it's not clear whether they can be held liable.? 
 
In the meantime, the CPSC ?along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continues to study the potential health effects, and the long-term implications of the corrosion.?

Full post as published by ThePopTort on November 24, 2009 (boomark / email).