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The suspected link between Chinese drywall and toxic effects reported by thousands of U.S. homeowners was strengthened Monday by three preliminary reports issued by the federal government. The strongest link came from an analysis of air sampled inside dozens of homes containing drywall made in China. "While the study of 51 homes detected hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde ... at concentrations below irritant levels, it is possible that the additive or synergistic effects of these and other compounds in the subject homes could cause irritant effects," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in its executive summary of the study. Two other...

The DSi shatters and fragments, which is more effective at maiming and disabling a target. On the other hand, the N97 remains whole, for greater penetration through tough surfaces. Both, however, are fun to look at. Far from an honest ballistics test, the shoot(ing), staged by French gaming magazine Amusement, was just an opportunity to snap a few stunning photos. Which is fine! And which they did! So, where's the video? Update: Yeah, you guys are right—the black one is an N97, not a PSP. Still though!

U.S. Stops Short of Linking Chinese Drywall to Health Problems By MELANIE TROTTMAN WASHINGTON -- Federal product-safety regulators stopped short of linking Chinese-made drywall to health problems and metal corrosion, according to people familiar with results of an investigation scheduled to be released later Thursday. The regulators have determined that sulfur gases emit from Chinese drywall at a higher rate than non-Chinese product, according to the results. But the officials said they need to conduct more studies to determine any connection to health problems or damages. Federal regulators are expected to caution that the results are early stage and could...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – James and Maria Ivory's dreams of a relaxing retirement on Florida's Gulf Coast were put on hold when they discovered their new home had been built with Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes. It got worse when they asked their insurer for help — and not only was their claim denied, but they've been told their entire policy won't be renewed. Thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys',...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—James and Maria Ivory's dreams of a relaxing retirement on Florida's Gulf Coast were put on hold when they discovered their new home had been built with Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes. It got worse when they asked their insurer for help—and not only was their claim denied, but they've been told their entire policy won't be renewed. Thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys', in which insurers drop...

When Bill Morgan, a retired policeman, moved into his newly built dream home in Williamsburg, Va., three years ago, his hopes were quickly dashed. His wife and daughter suffered constant nosebleeds and headaches. A persistent foul odor filled the house. Every piece of metal indoors corroded or turned black. In short order, Mr. Morgan moved out. The headaches and nosebleeds stopped, but the ensuing financial problems pushed him into personal bankruptcy. “My house is not worth the land it’s built on,” said Mr. Morgan, who could not maintain the mortgage payments on his $383,000 home in a Williamsburg subdivision called...

Thousands of Homeowners Cite Drywall for Ills By LESLIE WAYNE When Bill Morgan, a retired policeman, moved into his newly built dream home in Williamsburg, Va., three years ago, his hopes were quickly dashed. His wife and daughter suffered constant nosebleeds and headaches. A persistent foul odor filled the house. Every piece of metal indoors corroded or turned black. In short order, Mr. Morgan moved out. The headaches and nosebleeds stopped, but the ensuing financial problems pushed him into personal bankruptcy. “My house is not worth the land it’s built on,” said Mr. Morgan, who could not maintain the mortgage...

Lennar Corp. has identified 400 homes in Florida that have confirmed problems with defective Chinese drywall, and it has set aside $39.8 million to repair the homes, the Miami-based home builder said in a securities filing Friday. The figures are as of May 31, Lennar said. Complaints about odors and corrosion linked to defective drywall have been increasing for months. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a letter to four U.S. Senators last week that it has received more than 600 complaints related to the drywall issue from 21 states and the District of Columbia. Most of the...

The great thing about the excess buildout of fiber optic cable back during the tech boom is that it didn't degrade, and a few years later we had it all there to use when online video and broadband got big. Conversely, the tragedy of the housing boom is that the houses we built were total crap, and in five years, when the population is bigger, and more people are looking for homes, all those extra houses that we built will be deteriorating and weed infested. And many of them will have used toxic Chinese drywall. It's a big public concern...

There's something rotten in Homestead. It's the odor in Jason and Melissa Harrell's house, which was built with defective, Chinese-made drywall redolent of strong paint or rotten eggs. The smell got so bad that the Harrells felt forced to move. They now pay rent on top of their mortgage. ''What it boiled down to is, I had to choose between my financial health and my children's physical health,'' Melissa Harrell said. When the sulfurous stink in Gary and Andrea Suhajcik's Boynton Beach home wouldn't go away, the builder offered to rip out the walls, wiring, plumbing and molding in hopes...

Chinese drywall poses potential risks AP – In this April 8, 2009 photo, Mary Ann Schultheis stands in the guest room of her Parkland, Fla. home … By BRIAN SKOLOFF and CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press Writers PARKLAND, Fla. – At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who are concerned that the wallboard gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and silverware, and...

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Gov. Charlie Crist isn't declaring a state of emergency over the use of Chinese drywall in Florida just yet, but he is asking for federal help to study the controversial building material. The drywall, imported from China during the building boom of 2002 to 2006, has been blamed for foul odors, corroded copper pipes and wires, and respiratory problems. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D- Boca Raton, asked Crist to make the emergency declaration for Florida, where thousands of homes may have been impacted by the material, so residents could get funds from the Federal Emergency...

A watchdog group claims that homes all over the country, including thousands in Phoenix and Tucson, may have been built with tainted drywall. "America's Watchdog" says the drywall may contain gypsum mined near Chinese toxic waste dumps. "We think the drywall is made of gypsum, which is a naturally occurring product mined in China," said Thomas Martin with the group. "But unlike U.S. manufacturers, the Chinese never cleanse the gypsum." Martin says the contamination isn't limited to only residential homes. Most of the houses were built after 2001. "Some of the mid to high-rise buildings that have been built during...

Some home builders already struggling in Florida's dismal housing market are facing another headache: The Chinese-made drywall they used is causing unpleasant odors and possibly leading to electric problems in dozens of homes constructed during the housing boom.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Martin and St. Lucie counties are two of nearly a dozen counties where complaints of possible exposure to the contaminated drywall in new homes have arisen. The problem may have been sparked by drywall imported during the local construction boom of 2004 and 2005. Some common symptoms are irritated eyes, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, and symptoms similar to bronchitis and asthma. The contaminated Chinese drywall may be emitting one of several sulfur compounds including sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide. While exposure to fumes from sulfur dioxide can create irritation and breathing disorders, exposure to hydrogen sulfide...

I am noticing, at places where my walls come together at an outside corner, bulging of the wallboard right where the walls join. The angle is obtuse--135 degress. When I investigate one of the bulges, I see that it is caused by a solid metal strip. I can press it down, but soon it just pops up again. What is this metal strip? Is it a "corner bead"? I thought corner beads had holes in them. This strip that I see is solid. How do I eliminate the bulge?

Well, they went and did it.The Republicans look like they will wimp out, not exercise the so-called Nuclear Option, and Harry Reid will PERMIT two judges to be approved and disapprove four others. Does anyone think for a second the Democrats won't "go nuclear" in a heartbeat if the roles were reversed?This seals the deal for me. I am a Republican no more. It seems it does not matter if I vote Republican anyways, all I get is more liberalism. I am a man without a political party. I am a conservative without a home.Between Bushes enthusiastic embrace of illegal...

In 1962, the painter and film critic Manny Farber coined the phrase "termite art" to describe small-scale work with an obsessive bent. This month, the Chelsea gallery LMAKprojects is offering a strangely literal twist on this idea: for the inaugural exhibition of its satellite location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the artist Emily Katrencik is eating the wall that separates the gallery's exhibition space from the bedroom of its director, Louky Keijsers. Five days a week, Ms. Katrencik consumes a section of wall 1.956 inches square and three sheets of drywall thick, for a total of about 8.5 cubic inches of drywall;...

Let me preface, I am a life long Republican and strident conservative. I've suffered 8 years of Clinton, and 4 previous years of George H.W. Bush. Why the latter? Because the Father Bush was a wimp. Junior is the real man of the family, and is the first president in my lifetime (possible exception is R. Reagan) to take a stand was what this country is about, but no real conservative is brave enough to admit. Bush is finally saying "to hell with the liberals, the people will follow if I put it straight." G.W. Bush is setting the stage...