Senators express outrage over Chinese drywall - Business First of Louisville:

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“We’ve got a problem here and we’vee gotta get to the bottom of it,” said Sen. Bill D-Florida, who has been at the forefront of the investigation into problems said to be associated withthe Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., expressed outrage over a federal toxicologist’s comment that government investigator s have felt sick after a few minute s of being inside a home withChinese drywall. “Ij fear that we may just be at the tip of the iceber g on what could be a natural and national disaster,” he said.
The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Product Safety and Insuranceconducted Thursday’s hearing to determine what health and product safety issues might be associated with the high-sulfur imported drywall. A growing product liabilitgy crisis over the drywall may include upto 35,000 homes in several states, with Florida being amongg the hardest hit. Several senators said federalp money will be needed to deal withthe problem.
“We’ve got to figurs out what in the world these peopl e aregonna do,” Nelson “They can’t afford rent and payinv the mortgage if they are still living in the Sulfur fumes associated with the defective drywall cause a rottemn egg odor, metal corrosion in air conditioners and electricall wiring, and feelings of nausea and other sickness. Lori a toxicologist with the , described her agency’s investigatio of homes. She testifierd that investigators felt some of the symptoms associatecd with complaints aboutthe drywall’s off-gassing within shorft periods inside homes.
Symptoms reported to the Florida Department of Healthn have includedsinus irritation, mild nauseq and, in extreme cases, nosebleeds. Saltzman said the commissionj also has had several conversationw with Chinesegovernment officials. A Chinese delegation is expectec to visit as part ofthe “We’re hoping to get answers to thos questions when they are here in Saltzman said, who added that they also planned to visitg China. The commission is working with U.S. Customw and Border Protection officials to determined just how much Chinese drywall entererdthe U.S.
in recent years, but trackint the drywall is complicated because similar impor product codes are used for drywall andother materials, such as ceiling tiles, said a commission attorney. The agenct sent 44 letters to importers to determine who receivedthe “Anyone that has ‘Made in China’ stamped on theid drywall, their house is worthless, said Randy Noel, president of Louisiana-based homebuilder Reve Inc. Noel said his companh estimates gutting a house of Chinese drywallcosts $100,0090 per house. But, the economy has hampered homebuilders’ abilityt to respond to the crisis, he said.
“Ther only place we can figured out where that might come from immediately is thefederal government,” Noel