Buric’s Teams Investigate Chinese Drywall Problem in the U.S.
June 3, 2009
An official with the Environmental Protection Agency recently appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee to discuss the latest potentially hazardous material to attract the scrutiny of its Superfund program: Chinese drywall.
That a common building material — typically made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper — has been lumped in the same category as the toxic Love Canal speaks volumes. The nation’s Chinese drywall problem is big, and signs indicate the problem only will grow bigger:
- Residents from 16 states and the District of Columbia have filed more than 320 formal complaints with the federal government.
- Plaintiffs in several states have filed class-action lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors and installers.
- Researchers from the EPA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Centers for Disease Control are conducting field and lab tests to determine if consumer complaints have a scientific foundation.
Buric is actively involved in this issue. Our experts have investigated several structures and understand the problems occurring within buildings — as well as the potential health risks for occupants — because of Chinese drywall.
Before 2005, drywall imports from China to the United States hardly existed. But after hurricanes pummeled the southeastern United States in 2004 and 2005, contractors rebuilding damaged offices and homes exhausted the national supply of domestically produced drywall and looked to China to fill the gap.
Since 2006, the United States has imported more than 550 million pounds of Chinese–manufactured drywall for use in some 60,000 homes in a dozen states. Some homeowners believe the drywall leeches noxious substances that trigger illnesses in humans and corrode the electrical wires inside walls and appliances.
The Chinese drywall issue showcases two critical services in which Buric serves as a premier consultant to the construction industry: Building Diagnostics and Forensic Architecture.
If you or one of your clients faces this or another potentially threatening construction–related problem, please contact Ron Wright, Buric’s Chief Operating Officer, at 910.791.3299.
