There has been some interesting news out recently regarding the use of Chinese drywall in new homes built between 2002 and 2009. Apparently, the bulk of these homes were constructed in Florida during 2004-2005. However, if you own a home built between 2002 and 2009, you might want to be aware of a few things.
First...you might want to know how you find out if you have a house with Chinese drywall. You might make a call to your builder to ask about the source of the building materials. You can also find an unfinished area of your home and see if you can see the back of some of the drywall. If it says "made in China", you have Chinese drywall.
Follow this link to find out more about the the problems with Chinese drywall. http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/how.html
From what I have read, the most serious issue could be breathing problems caused by exposure to this drywall. It can also cause some corrosion in your copper piping. Apparently, this drywall may be constructed with materials not approved for use in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:
"CPSC has received about 1,501 reports from residents in 27 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to the presence of drywall produced in China. State and local authorities have also received similar reports."
Unfortunately, some insurers have stopped covering houses that have Chinese drywall or refused to cover claims, leaving the homeowner no choice but to file a claim against the builder. One argument might be that individual communities are separate LLCs or corporate structures than the larger builder companies, the question may be as to whether purchasing is centralized and that purchasing for large quantities of Chinese drywall were done at the behest of a corporate office. This would seemingly expose the entire corporate entity (parent, subsidiarys, and separate affiliated companies) to legal ramifications and lawsuits. One can also imagine that if a national builder used the materials, there will be people analyzing purchasing and shipping records to see where materials were sent and what communities are affected.
Stay tuned. I am sure there will more out soon on Chinese drywall.
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