11.30.2009

evil chinese drywall!

It appears that American-made drywall is just as dangerous as Chinese drywall. Take that, China bashers. A federal probe of tainted Chinese drywall has broadened because a small number of homeowners are reporting that American drywall is causing some of the same problems: a sickening, sulfurous stench and corroded pipes and wiring: Drywall investigation expands into US products.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission is conducting the largest investigation in its history after thousands of homeowners complained and filed lawsuits. The vast majority of complaints center on China-made gypsum board imported during the recent U.S. housing boom, when domestic building materials were in short supply.

But it's apparently not just the Chinese stuff. Sporadic reports are surfacing from owners of homes built with American drywall, and the symptoms they report are similar to those reported with the Chinese drywall: a rotten egg odor that makes occupants sick, corrosion of copper pipes, and ruined TVs and air conditioners.

All these homeowners coming forward, thinking they've been cursed with damn drywall manufactured by the damn Chinese. Turns out, their houses were rocking drywall made in the good ol' U.S.A. Yes, of course, the imported drywall is bad. But it looks like we've got plenty of the bad stuff right here too!

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