CHINESE DRYWALL ALERT - DRYWALL INFORMATION CENTER - INTERIM REMEDIATION GUIDE. A series.

Lenn this is a horrible mess.  I couldn't believe the amount of homeowners that were stuck with this poison drywall down in Florida!  Terrible!

Lenn, very true.  There is a proposed non-destructive fix for the drywall problem, but as to date it has not been approved by the government.  It is also a very expensive fix though.  I wrote about it in October here.

Lenn, I read both your posts and Jay's also. I am not in a place where we would expect to see this, but who knows.

I checked out the links too. The question I have is what is causing this to happen? I read 2 microbiology reports by the Dept of Consumer Safety, I could not understand the cause.

This will be a heavy burden to bear for those effected.

Sadly, it appears that again we are being assaulted before a recovery, small though it might be.  I feel like a bucket of water before a raging forest fire. 

Lenn, the last two bank owned homes I sold the addendums from the banks had paragraphs on this. I have not seen it here, but I am sure it is coming.

It just seems like the "right" thing would be for the government of the country that sent this mess to us should step up and help shoulder the cost. Don't the exporters have any liability???

Wow - it is amazing actually how many harmful products in addition to drywall have made it through the "safety gate" and into our homes- My dear friend lost her dog to poisoned IAMS food (rat poisoning was one of the ingredients found in the affected food) from China as well. So very sad.

Lenn - I'm still confused about the reason why we buy anything from China. I personnally do not, and I haven't or many years. Which also means i don't ever shop at Walmart.

Lenn:  It's hard to imagine that drywall could cause so many problems, but that's what happens when a Country with no regulations is allowed to enter our marketplace.  Scary.

Besides tainted products from China we get boatloads of fruits and vegetables from South America during the winter. Who controls what pesticides they use to grow there crops for the big belly of America? American consumers, beware. Beware of what you ask for, for you will get it at a cost.

It's pretty firghtening - I doubt we really have a realistic grasp yet on how bad the issue really is. Who can really afford to make these fixes without assistance?

Jeff

Lenn -at the risk of being repetitive,  there is still over $500 billion in stimulus money not spent Spending it to alleviate this issue  seems like a much better way to utilize it than sending it to China for wind turbines or studying the sex lives of Syracuse University freshman women.

Be careful not to rely on visual inspections for Chinese drywall.  We have been in numerous homes that had no visual signs of Chinese drywall (corrosion, etc) that tested positive.  That is why we do not even offer visual inspections, even though we are constantly asked to do them.  They are not reliable.

Think about it this way -- it took several years for the signs to show up in some homes.  What about all of the variables that could increase/decrease the manifestation of these problems.  We know that heat and humidity are highly impactful.  Air conditioning (heating and cooling) drastically affect heat and humidity.  How often was the AC run?  Is the AC sized appropriately (most residential units are not)?  Was the home occupied all year long?  Way too many variables...

How many properties in that area have gone through hurricanes before, and got fixed.  Millions.  But this go round, funny how the mold and toxicity was pronounced.  It's terribe what happens to home owners. 

Lenn - just saw this!  Sorry I missed it.  Two years ago when I started blogging about Chinese Drywall nobody was hearing or caring.  That may have changed...