Communications Litigation Today was a Warren News publication.

CPSC Identifies Chinese Manufacturers of High and Low Emission Drywall

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has released the names of the Chinese drywall manufacturers whose drywall emitted high levels of hydrogen sulfide in testing conducted for the agency by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). CPSC states that there is a strong association between hydrogen sulfide and metal corrosion.

(Last month, CPSC released the results of drywall emissions tests by LBNL. The studies showed a connection between certain Chinese drywall and corrosion in homes. In addition, the patterns of reactive sulfur compounds emitted from drywall samples show a clear distinction between certain Chinese drywall samples manufactured in 2005/2006 and other Chinese and non-Chinese drywall samples.)

Chinese Drywall Mfrs with Highest Hydrogen Sulfide -- Emitting Drywall

The following manufacturers had the top 10 hydrogen sulfide-emitting drywall samples, ranked from the highest emissions levels to the lowest. CPSC notes that some of the Chinese drywall had emission rates of hydrogen sulfide 100 times greater than non-Chinese drywall samples.

Mfrs with Low or No Detectable Hydrogen-Sulfide Emissions

Other drywall samples tested had low or no detectable emissions of hydrogen sulfide. These include samples from China, the U.S. and Mexico as follows:

U.S. Wants Meeting Between CPSC, Chinese Drywall Mfrs

CPSC states that at the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meetings in Beijing May 24-25, U.S. officials pressed the Chinese government to facilitate a meeting between CPSC and the Chinese drywall companies whose products were used in U.S. homes and which exhibited the emissions identified during the testing procedures.

CPSC Chairman Urges Chinese Drywall Companies to Take Responsibility

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum appealed to these Chinese drywall companies to carefully examine their responsibilities to U.S. families who have been harmed and do what is fair and just.

(See ITT’s Online Archives or 04/07/10 news, 10040715, for BP summary of CPSC’s recommendation to remove problem drywall from homes.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 06/02/09 news, 09060215, for BP summary of Senate hearing on China drywall issue.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/16/09 news, 09121615, for BP summary of CPSC inquiry into rulemaking to require tracking labels on drywall.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 05/05/09 news, 09050515, for BP summary of CPSC letter on the actions it had taken to investigate drywall from China.)