Chinese Drywall Continues to Pose Threat

Posted on July 26, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Health & Medicine

The Chinese drywall linked to health problems in homes across the nation has resurfaced in Mississippi. Officials believe that many homeowners affected by Hurricane Katrina may have rebuilt with the dangerous wallboard. Shortages of building materials around 2006-2007 lead to imports of the drywall.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said he has received several complaints about Chinese drywall from state residents. In recent months, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports from people in 21 states about health symptoms and electrical corrosion problems linked to the imported drywall. Complaints most often involved a “rotton egg” odor or blackening of metal in or on electrical fixtures.

Health symptoms include irritated and itchy eyes, difficulty breathing, persistent cough, bloody noses, runny noses, frequent headaches, sinus infection and asthma attacks. The symptoms appear to be short-term. Hood said that all health complaints are being investigated fully. “We have been working with the federal government, other states, and other Mississippi agencies to collect more information on this issue,” he said in a press release.

If you believe that the problem drywall could have been used in your home, the CPSC advises you contact a licensed electrician or building inspector as well as your local gas or electric supplier.