WASHINGTON - Federal officials Thursday identified two potentially harmful chemicals in homes built with Chinese drywall, but stopped far short of blaming the imported material on widespread health problems associated with it.
As officials from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released the preliminary findings, criticism mounted that the government's response has been glacially slow.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., whose state has generated the bulk of health complaints about Chinese drywall, said federal officials had been alerted a year ago and dragged their feet.
"You don't have to be a scientist or a medical doctor to understand something's wrong," Nelson said. "And that¹s why they've got to come to conclusions in this testing a lot more rapidly than they are now doing."
The drywall in question is believed to have been used largely in Florida, Louisiana and Virginia from 2006 to 2007 -- at the height of the housing boom, according to the CPSC. Between 60,000 and 100,000 homes are believed to have the potentially tainted Chinese drywall.
Investigators say they need more time to conduct additional testing, which should be completed in November.
On Thursday, officials would not connect the extensive health problems with the Chinese drywall. Preliminary findings show the Chinese drywall to contain elevated levels of sulfur and strontium, a radioactive material, though the officials said the strontium levels found do not present a radiation risk.
They also declined to announce any new federal funding to pay to remove the questionable drywall from homes. Instead, they suggested local municipalities could decide to use block grant money if they wanted.
The investigation comes as more than 1,300 people have complained to federal officials about Chinese drywall, describing a "rotten egg" smell, breathing problems and bloody noses. The Chinese drywall is also blamed for corroding metal items such as air conditioning coils in homes, according to the CPSC, which is overseeing the investigation.
To test for harmful chemicals, researchers compared homes with Chinese drywall with homes that have American drywall.
In addition to the CPSC, the investigation spans several federal and state agencies including: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and the Florida Department of Health. Health officials are also working with customs officials to keep Chinese drywall from entering the United States.
But officials said Thursday that there is no federal law or ban making it illegal to use Chinese drywall.
"What we are going to have to do is ban the import of this substance," Nelson said.
Contact Isaac Wolf at wolfi(at)shns.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
Defective Chinese Drywall
Chinese drywall manufacturer, Knauf, has agreed to accept “service of lawsuits” for one month, an unprecedented move that removes many of the obstacles claimants have been facing, a huge breakthrough for plaintiffs who have suffered the unpleasant and potentially harmful odors and fumes metal corrosion associated with defective Chinese drywall. Claimants with KPT drywall need to file their suits as soon as possible. This is a good place to get information on filing a suit: Chinesedrywall.org. Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., is alleged to be a subsidiary of the German-based Knauf Gips KG and is one of several Chinese companies accused of manufacturing and importing defective drywall from China into the U.S.
People with Chinese drywall
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