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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2009)
Drywall from China blamed for problems in homes Homeowners are joining in class-ac- tion lawsuits and U.S. senators are call- ing for bans and investigations into Chi- nese-made drywall that tests show can emit sulfur gases that corrode copper coils and electrical and plumbing com- ponents, and sicken occupants with its rotten-egg-type smell. The problem surfaced in Florida in late 2008, but similar occurrences have been linked to tens of thousands of homes in the Deep South, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the Pacific North- west. Jerry Auvil of Portland-based Exte- rior and Interior Specialists Local 2154, which represents drywall hangers, was- n’t aware of any problems in the Port- land area. A spokesman for Associated Ceiling and Wall Contractors in Port- land said he had heard something about Ombudsperson can assist with workers’ comp questions SALEM — Have you been hurt on the job, or do you know someone who has? If so, call Oregon Workers’ Com- pensation Ombudsperson Jennifer Flood in Salem for guidance in the complex world of the state’s workers’ compensation insurance system. The ombudsman’s staff can provide straight answers at no charge in the ar- eas of workers’ comp claims, appeal rights, claims deposition agreements, claim closures, determination orders, reconsiderations, aggravation rights, conflict resolution and informal media- tion. Flood can be reached toll-free at 1- 800-927-1271. the bad drywall back east, but hasn’t fielded any contractor complaints in the Pacific Northwest. It’s gotten so bad in the South, how- ever, that U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D- Fla.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La) have filed legislation seeking a recall and temporary ban of the imported drywall. Louisiana and Florida Governors Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist also are calling on the Environmental Protec- tion Agency and the Center for Disease Control to step in and investigate. Attorneys for homeowners in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama con- tend the toxic chemicals emanating from the drywall have corroded electri- cal wiring and components of air-con- ditioning and other household appli- ances and, that in some instances, have made homeowners ill. Attorneys allege the imported dry- wall contains fly ash residue — a waste material captured from the chimneys of coal-fired power plants. The material that wouldn’t burn was recycled into the drywall instead of being taken to a landfill. A target of the lawsuits is drywall manufacturer Knauf Plasterboard Tian- jin Co. Ltd. of China, and exporter Rothchilt International Ltd. of the Chi- nese port city of Ningbo. Several home- builders in Florida and Louisiana also are named in lawsuits. Over 500-million-pounds of drywall were imported from China between 2004 and 2007 when the construction boom was at a peak and domestic ma- terials were said to be in short supply. Sen. Nelson said drywall from China arrived at ports around the coun- try, including 60 million pounds in New Orleans and 27 million pounds in Mis- sissippi — two areas hard hit by Hurri- cane Katrina. “I believe you’re going to see this is widespread,” Nelson said. It has been estimated that as many as 300,000 homes across 40 states may contain the defective drywall. Many of those homes are uninhabitable and will need to be completely gutted. Affected electrical appliances also will need to be replaced. America’s Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., told the Labor Press via e-mail that the tainted drywall is likely “all over Oregon and Washington.” America’s Watchdog President M. Thomas Martin believes some of the drywall was trucked up from Califor- nia by subcontractors using undocu- mented workers. “This is why your labor unions never saw it. We don’t think they would have touched the stuff,” Martin said. On its Web site, the organization re- ports that unionized drywall installers in the South “would not hang the dry- wall, because it stunk, and or it made workers sick.” In their bill, Senators Nelson and Landrieu are asking the secretaries of Treasury and Housing and Urban De- velopment to provide mortgage relief and other assistance to affected home- owners, though they want the costs to be borne by the manufacturers and not U.S. taxpayers. “Homeowners are already suffering from depressed home values and nega- tive economic conditions,” Nelson said. Nelson is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Consumer Product Safety Commis- sion. The CPSC also has launched a federal investigation. At a town hall meeting April 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida, with Sen. Nelson and Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), Laborers Union offi- cial Ron Nault raised concerns about workers. “What about the workers taking this stuff out of the homes?” Nault asked. “What do we do with the thing? Put it in a landfill?” EE R F Nault then offered his own sugges- tion: “Put it on a barge and send it back to China.” In recent years, Chinese imports have been implicated in one safety scandal after another: lead-laced toys; toxic pet food; poisoned toothpaste and snacks; tainted seafood and beef; and defective tires and valve stems. 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