Chinese Drywall in Alabama: A Growing Problem August 26, 2009

The Consumer Products Safety Commission has received more than 800 Chinese drywall complaints. This may not seem like a big number, but it is growing by the day and causing more problems than most people realize. At this time, problems related to Chinese drywall have popped up in 23 states as well as the District of Columbia. It is only a matter of time until more states are added to this group.

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. With its close proximity to Florida, a state that has been severely affected, it was only a matter of time until Alabama residents began to realize that they are victims of this serious issue.

Most of the homes in Alabama affected by Chinese drywall were built in 2006 and 2007. This is when new homes were being built at a very fast pace. One of the reasons for this torrid pace in the south was to rebuild after damage from hurricanes. Unfortunately, construction companies decided to use Chinese drywall as a way of keeping up with demand. This may not have been a problem at the time, but has turned into a big issue.

Between the years of 2004 and 2008 it is thought that more than 500 million pounds of Chinese drywall was imported into the United States. A report by the Associated Press estimates that this much drywall could build roughly 100,000 homes. These numbers alone show you that more Chinese drywall cases are bound to pop up in the near future.