Buyer beware on products from China

As trials on defective drywall imported from China begin, evidence is mounting that some builders, suppliers and contractors became suspicious of the product but didn't pass along concerns to consumers during the building boom.

The result? Stinky homes, corroded appliances and reports of occupants' health problems -- and now, lawsuits. The moral? Caveat emptor -- let the buyer beware -- and better federal government oversight of imports.

The Chinese drywall problem for U.S. homeowners has been a stealth crisis that's only now getting wider attention through court cases.

Some 3,300 Chinese drywall complaints have been filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In Florida, 750 homeowners have filed complaints with the state Health Department. The CPSC is conducting the biggest inquiry in its history into Chinese drywall problems. South Florida's U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, has become the go-to man on the drywall problems.

Last year, Diaz-Balart and then-West Palm Beach Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler obtained $2 million in emergency funding for the CPSC's investigation. The results are at mariodiazbalart.house.gov.

Government testing has found that some Chinese drywall emits hydrogen sulfide, the cause of corroded air conditioners and bad smell. So far, scientists haven't found a link between health problems -- often breathing difficulties -- and the drywall, but research is continuing.

The federal government recommends not trying to salvage defective Chinese drywall. Homeowners' only recourse is to gut their houses and start over -- without insurance picking up the tab. Frustrated homeowners inevitably are seeking relief in another venue: the courts.

Subpoenaed correspondence in state and federal lawsuits against suppliers and others shows a willingness in some cases to dupe consumers. Some drywall began to stink while it was in warehouses, raising caution flags for some suppliers. They sought answers from the Chinese manufacturer. In most cases that was Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, which has not been overly forthcoming.

Still, many suppliers sold the drywall anyway. The country's first jury trial on defective drywall is scheduled to begin Monday in Miami against Banner Supply.

In a deposition, Banner executive Scott Giering said he was unaware of any problems with the imported drywall he sold. When asked about the smell, he said, incredibly, that some people "happen to like rotten-egg smells."

Pretty soon builders began complaining of the stink to Banner, which contracted with Knauf to replace 2.2 million square feet of Banner's drywall in 2007. Knauf, however, won't release results of its own drywall testing.

Tainted dog food. Putrefying bacteria on seafood. Toxic drywall. By now it should be clear to the CPSC and other import regulators that products from China need extra scrutiny, period.

The Miami Herald, June 7