Chinese Drywall Problem A "Sleeping Beast" In Thousands Of Bank-Owned Condos, Houses?

The Associated Press reports:

• At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who are concerned that the wallboard gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and silverware, and possibly sicken people.

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• Dozens of homeowners in the Southeast have sued builders, suppliers and manufacturers, claiming the very walls around them are emitting smelly sulfur compounds that are poisoning their families and rendering their homes uninhabitable. "It's like your hopes and dreams are just gone," said Mary Ann Schultheis, who has suffered burning eyes, sinus headaches, and a general heaviness in her chest since moving into her brand-new, 4,000-square foot house in this tidy South Florida suburb a few years ago. She has few options. Her builder is in bankruptcy, the government is not helping and her lender will not give her a break. "I'm just going to cry," she said. "We don't know what we're going to do."

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• In another cruel twist, some of the very communities that have been hit hardest by the collapse of the housing market and skyrocketing foreclosure rates are now at the epicenter of the drywall problem. [Construction consultant Michael] Foreman warns of a "sleeping beast" in the thousands of bank-owned condos and houses across the country, with no one in them to complain.

For more, see AP IMPACT: Chinese drywall poses potential risks (Chinese drywall imported during housing boom causes corrosion, possible health risk).

See also, ABC News: Some China-Made Drywall Causing a Stink (Homeowners Have Complained of Sulfur Smells and Corroding Metals).

Go here for other posts on Chinese drywall.

Go here for links to recent media reports on the problems with "Chinese drywall."