Legal News

On May 25, the CPSC announced its list of the manufacturing companies whose drywall showed emissions of high levels of hydrogen sulfide in testing. The testing was conducted for the CPSC at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), in California. The Commission confirms there is a strong association between the hydrogen sulfide and metal corrosion.

The CPSC confirms that of the samples tested, the top ten sulfur-emitting drywall samples were all produced in China. Some of the Chinese drywall had emission rates of hydrogen sulfide 100 times greater than non-Chinese drywall samples.

Chairman of the CPSC, Inez Tenenbaum, appealed to the Chinese companies to do "what is fair and just" to compensate the American homeowners who have suffered great damage and loss of value to their homes due to the drywall. Many homeowners have already filed suits against various manufacturers of the drywall.

In Beijing on May 24 and 25, the highest bi-lateral meeting yet convened to discuss a broad range of issues between the two countries. According to the CPSC, at that time, the American officials "pressed the Chinese government to facilitate a meeting between CPSC and the Chinese drywall companies whose products were used in U.S. homes, and which exhibit the emissions identified during the testing procedures."

The following is a list from the CPSC showing the top 10 drywall samples that tested with the highest emissions of hydrogen sulfide, along with the identity of the manufacturer of the drywall, and the year of manufacture, from highest to lowest.

• Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.: (year of manufacture 2005) China
• Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China
• Shandong Taihe Dongxin Co.: (2005) China
• Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.: (2006) China
• Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China
• Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China
• Shandong Chenxiang GBM Co. Ltd. (C&K Gypsum Board): (2006) China
• Beijing New Building Materials (BNBM): (2009) China
• Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2009) China
• Shandong Taihe Dongxin Co.: (2009) China

Other Chinese drywall samples had low or no detectable emissions of hydrogen sulfide as did the drywall samples tested that were manufactured domestically. To view that list, click here.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Related Resources:

• Update: CPSC Announces Guidelines for Repairing Homes with Chinese Drywall (FindLaw's Common Law)
• Drywall Information Center (CPSC)
• Update: First Drywall Settlement with Homebuilding Company (FindLaw's Common Law)
• Update: Class Action Suit Filed Against Chinese Drywall Makers (FindLaw's Common Law)
• Construction Law Overview (provided by The Mellor Law Firm, APLC)