Posted on 12/30/2008 6:51:51 PM PST by BGHater
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 can be deadly.
Exposure to 50 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide for more than ten minutes can cause extreme irritation. Inhalation of 500 to 1,000 parts per million can cause unconsciousness and death through respiratory paralysis and asphyxiation, according to environmental experts.
I have decided that the safest substance you can buy, is 100% lead that is made in China. It will be the only substance you can buy that is guaranteed not to have any lead in it.
They’re becoming more effective than the Third Reich and they get paid for it.
Rule One: Never buy anything made in China.
Rule Two: Never buy anything made in China.
Rule Three: Never buy anything made in China...
Regarding the manhole covers, most Americans have no idea that we have nearly completely lost our metal casting industry. The ones that remain are either small scale niche shops, conglomerate companies that have most of their casting resources overseas, or are targeting aerospace or transportation applications. It has nothing at all to do with ship ballast-- only money, I am afraid.
Some have posted that a drive for increasing margins has pushed production overseas. In my experience, it has been a necessity to maintain margins— not increase them. At my company, we try to maintain an average margin near 30%.
Our customer then sells to consumers like you and me at a 40-50% margin, but at the maximum retail price we (i.e. consumers) will accept. We import 40-60% of our products and still have to skimp on historically typical durability and robustness to meet opening price point targets.
I have to design products to be made overseas.
It is frustrating at times. I make every effort to TRY to make the product be profitable in our domestic manufacturing plants— only to fail.
The challenge is managing the overhead costs of labor and facilities. Taxes, fees, accounting methods, regulations, etc. hinder our manufacturing profitability.
After reading my post, I have to add that we TEST and RE-TEST to verify the materials and paints on products we get from China.
Companies that import product without a comprehensive knowledge of the potential problems and the discipline to look for them should be held accountable for the junk they bring into the country to sell.
Unbelievable and sad....greed trumped everything in Florida during the boom.
It's the kind of thing that once you find out about it, even if it isn't emitting anything toxic or at toxic levels, the power of suggestion could make you develop symptoms. I don't mean to make light of it if levels are so high they can kill or disable you. What do they propose to do, gut the homes and put up new drywall? That is a heck of a nasty job and then getting all the trim to fit right again, assuming you don't bust it up getting it off, been there, done that.
That drywall comes in large sheets, and I need some done here, don't even know if wherever I buy it will know its origin. I'm not going to worry about it, have enough on my plate as it is, but I will try to check what I do buy to see if it is made in China.
I don't get it. The price of drywall went up during the boom, but it still wasn't all that expensive.
You may not want to hear this, but our homegrown dry wall, or is it the sheetrock mud, weeps formaldeyhyde. Not very healthy. Remember when all the Katrina whiners complained about the health problems resulting from their free housing Katrina cabins? It annoyed me because it was another illustration of folks who think they are special: anyone with sheetrock walls (which is almost all of us in the states) live with the same danger. This is why when I build a new house, I try to leave the windows open as much as possible for the first two years. Also I try to hang the sheetrock in the spring so that there are more fresh air days after installation.
You are right...too close !
Chinese drywall has toothpaste in it.
As a building inspector, how would you establish if drywall was Chinese or not? Just thinking: you do the framing inspection and the walls are of course open, no drywall; you do the electrical, the walls are open; you come back for the final and the walls are closed, probably taped and even painted. At what point do you inspect the national origin of the sheetrock?
But in inspections you do not check for country of orgin, only if the drywall is the correct thickness, attached according to code and when required if it is fire resistant/proof. So why would you pay attention to where the drywall was made? And I am trying to recall if Made In US is stamped on the drywall sheets. I think maybe the UL number is there and whether it is type X but I am drawing a blank about other details.
Well if he has one I want to know what the hell happened to mine. Cause I sure was not given the news when I worked as a Plans Examiner. Maybe I should have paid attention more in the meetings.
Think of the American jobs lost to Chinese manufacturers who make and sell this crap. The insane drive for profits lures so many companies into the trap of closing US facilities and importing obviously inferior products into the US to fatten margins.
Problem is, our standard of living is eroding as everything we buy gets shabbier and shabbier. I’d LOVE to buy some AMERICAN made work gloves for the field like my ancestors used to buy. How do I know the sweaty gloves aren’t poisoning me????
It’s time to name names and get in their faces. What American company used to make drywall here and now does over there? Then do the same for every other product, pipes, fasteners, you name it. Just make their lives every bit as miserable as ours for having to accept this crap from China.
xactly!
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