Samples of drywall imported from China contained higher concentrations of elemental sulfur than non-Chinese-made drywall, according to initial report released today by a federal interagency task force.
Reports of homes containing the wallboard have surfaced in Newport News and South Hampton Roads. To date, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission received nearly 1,900 complaints from residents in 30 states who say the drywall causes health problems and corrodes electrical equipment.
The next step is additional scientific testing looking for links between elevated levels of sulfur and strontium, which is a type of metal, to reported health symptoms or corrosion effects. Results will be released in November.
The commission has teamed with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and stop imports and has identified “hundreds of thousands of stockpiled boards” stored in warehouses, which have been notified, according to commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.
The CPSC created a drywall information center Web site at drywallresponse.gov to provide updates. Anyone who suspects health symptoms and/or corrosion of electrical and metal components is tied to drywall should immediately report to CPSC’s Hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
