Thursday, October 29, 2009
Chinese safety summit focuses on drywall
The safety of Chinese-made drywall was the main focus of the Third Biennial United States-China Consumer Product Safety Summit, held earlier this week in Wuxi, China, and Beijing.
Although the safety of toys, fireworks and all-terrain vehicles was discussed, the main focus was on imported Chinese drywall that is believed to cause a chemical reaction that releases a rotten egg-like smell and impacts consumers' health. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received about 1,311 complaints from 26 states and the District of Columbia about health problems related to the drywall, such as persistent coughing, itchy eyes, bloody noses and difficulty breathing, according to Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. Complaints also indicated the drywall caused the corrosion of metal components in homes, such as electrical wiring, plumbing and fixtures. Many state and local health departments – mostly along the Gulf Coast – received additional complaints, Tenenbaum noted in her keynote address at the summit.
CPSC officials, working with China's Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said they expect results from drywall testing next week.