In a recent development regarding the Chinese drywall trials (and the issue as a whole for that matter ) a Chinese manufacturer has settled its first suit – Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. settled just days ago, on Friday. Read the source article, from CBS, here.
AL.com recently reported that more than 400 homes in the metro Birmingham area are affected by Chinese drywall. This has led to a large number of lawsuits, as well as a federal consumer products probe. As you can see, Alabama is having just as many Chinese drywall problems as other southern states including Florida and [...]
After months of scientific testing, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released the results of its investigation Thursday. The results: federal investigators found higher than normal levels of sulfur and strontium in Chinese drywall samples. As a caveat, the report did not conclusively link the health problems and reported damages that thousands of U.S. homeowners have reported to the agency with the drywall directly. Instead of an outright assertion, the CPSC said additional testing was needed and that a new report should be released at some point in November.
The America’s Watchdog group is currently investigating the corrosion of air-conditioning coils, specifically appealing to residents living in Florida since 2002. The Group noted, “air conditioning coils are supposed to last for 15 years, yet they fail in Florida homes with toxic Chinese drywall once every two years, once a year, or even once every six months…If a homeowner in Florida, lies in a home with toxic Chinese drywall, we want you to call us if you have lost more than two air conditioning coils.”
In a pre-trial hearing in New Orleans, United States District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled against Chinese drywall manufacturer, Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., because the company failed to respond to a suit filed by an Alabama homebuilder.
The process, while far from simple, has fundamental aims – to measure the levels of gases that may be emitted from the drywall. One example of the investigation in progress is the EPA’s involvement in performing air sampling and home monitoring in Louisiana and Florida. The CPSC is using 50 homes as a test population in Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida, to gain samples from a broad array of possible sources.
Most recently, homeowners in Alabama have been complaining about Chinese drywall problems. The largest number of cases are coming from those in the cities of Birmingham and Mobile.
