It seems that homeowners are complaining that toxic levels of a pollutant like sulfur is emanating from contaminated drywall made in Chinese factories. It is so bad that class-action lawsuits have been filed in Florida, California, Louisiana and Alabama.
An investigation is under way.
Since 2006, imports of drywall have greatly increased because of the housing construction boom. The need for materials was especially critical in Florida where more than 550 million pounds of it ended up.
The drywall was used to build more than 60,000 homes in at least a dozen states. I’m sure the people who suffered through devastation like Katrina are appreciating the fact that their new home could possibly make them really ill.
This problem came to light when homeowners complained about a rotten egg smell in their house, about nosebleeds and about other ailments. Moreover, new homeowners were also experiencing copper-coil corrosion in their air conditioners which air-conditioning companies concluded was caused by high levels of airborne sulfur and moldy toxins. The corrosion even extended as far as wires in outlets, appliances and lamps.
It seems that in our quest for cheap goods we are doing more harm than good.
Cheap goods from China, have so far brought us:
- toxic toothpaste and toiletries containing a toxic chemical used to make antifreeze
- toxic melamine laced pet food
- banned chemical contaminants and imported livestock quarantined for disease
- bacteria and heavy metal laced catfish fillets
- cancer causing chemicals used to preserve dried apples
- illegal pesticides in mushrooms
It is up to us as consumers to choose wisely because we cannot just ass-u-me anymore that the products we buy are safe. Be doubly careful if that product originates from China.
That’s why buying organic as much as possible is the only way to go.
Tags: drywall, sulfur, toxins from China
