Chinese drywall causes safety concerns in US,yet with no solid evidence of "being unsafe"
- Source: Xinhua
- [13:35 November 03 2009]
- Comments
Two years after the so-called tainted Chinese toys and pet food scare, another Chinese manufactured product is causing safety concerns in the United States.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said last week that it had received about 1,900 complaints from US homeowners who claimed that Chinese drywall had made them sick or damaged their houses.
But CPSC officials conceded last Thursday that it was still too early to say whether Chinese drywall was causing health problems as well as corroded pipes, electrical outlets and foul odors in homes.
In a report last May, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not draw any conclusions about health risks or whether the boards could be damaging wiring in homes.
NO SOLID EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATED CHINESE DRYWALL YET
According to the CPSC, consumers largely reported that their homes were built in 2006 to 2007, when an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.
Some consumers have reported a "rotten egg" smell within their homes, while others complained of irritated eyes and skin, difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, runny noses, nosebleed, recurrent headaches, sinus infection and asthma attacks, said the US watchdog of consumer goods.
Moreover, consumers have reported blackened and corroded metal components in their homes and the frequent replacement of components in air conditioning units.
As many as 100,000 homes may be affected by Chinese drywall, and consulting firm Towers Perrin estimates the damage could range from 15 billion to 25 billion US dollars, according to US media.
Though many complaints were targeted against Chinese drywall, there is no solid evidence indicating the Chinese material caused these problems.
