WASHINGTON – Aug. 20, 2009 – A new website launched by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) aims to update consumers, builders, drywall manufacturers, and others on its probe into imported Chinese drywall – which has generated complaints of foul odors, metal corrosion, and health problems from those occupying properties containing the defective wallboard.

The CPSC Drywall Information Center will provide details of the investigation – which involves air samples, import tracking and an analysis of the health effects of the Chinese drywall, among other things – and visitors can sign up for e-mail alerts.

The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that Chinese drywall contains 10 times more strontium than U.S. drywall, and it detected the presence of sulfur and two organic compounds in acrylic paint that are not used in U.S. drywall. Approximately 36,000 homes in Florida and many others in Alabama, California, Mississippi, Virginia, and areas of Louisiana hit hard by Hurricane Katrina have been affected.

The CPSC drywall website is located at: http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall

Source: Realty Times (08/20/09) Perkins, Broderick

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