Reports of Tainted Drywall Expanding

The number of reported cases of tainted drywall from China continues to expand. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that, since July, defective Chinese drywall has been identified in two additional states, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and that an additional 202 reports have been filed, bringing the total number of reported cases to 810. In a status update sent to Congress on Aug. 11, CPSC said a total of 23 states and the District of Columbia have reported cases of tainted drywall, although the majority of reports continue to come from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

CPSC says it has received approval from Chinese officials to visit China for an investigative visit beginning on Aug. 17; CPSC officials will visit several sites.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to complete its element analyses of 15 drywall samples by late August, with a report on its findings expected by the end of September.

According to Jenna Hamilton, assistant vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Home Builders, the drywall crisis is having a significant impact on homebuilders, particularly in the states where most of the tainted drywall as been found. “This is the worst possible time for something like this to happen because most builders simply do not have the money to cover the costs of going in and doing remediation for home-owners,” she says.