Toxic Building Materials From China Damage New Homes
Katie Cordrey — April 9, 2009 — Art & Design
References: chinesedrywall & csmonitor
As if tainted dog food and toys weren’t enough, Chinese-made drywall that emits sulfur gases was installed in thousands of homes, where it is corroding wiring, wrecking air conditioners, blackening exposed metals, and making residents sick.
Americas Watchdog’s Homeowners Consumer Center, a self-proclaimed consumer-protection group, has issued a series of alerts about the problem. Most of the installations occurred between 2004 and 2007, but the problem is just coming to full light. Over 500 million pounds of the Chinese drywall may have been installed in as many as 100,000 homes.
The biggest problems seem to be concentrated in Florida and Louisiana where humidity causes the sulfur in the tainted drywall to offgas.
While most Chinese products are safe, some have caused huge problems for consumers. Impacted homeowners should contact their builder or the local building authority for help to remedy the toxic installations.
Americas Watchdog’s Homeowners Consumer Center, a self-proclaimed consumer-protection group, has issued a series of alerts about the problem. Most of the installations occurred between 2004 and 2007, but the problem is just coming to full light. Over 500 million pounds of the Chinese drywall may have been installed in as many as 100,000 homes.
The biggest problems seem to be concentrated in Florida and Louisiana where humidity causes the sulfur in the tainted drywall to offgas.
While most Chinese products are safe, some have caused huge problems for consumers. Impacted homeowners should contact their builder or the local building authority for help to remedy the toxic installations.
Trend Themes
1. Toxic Building Materials - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in developing safer, non-toxic alternatives to traditional building materials.
2. Consumer Protection - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in creating new technologies or systems to ensure consumer safety and prevent the distribution of harmful products.
3. Home Remediation Services - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in offering specialized services to help homeowners identify and address issues related to toxic building materials.
Industry Implications
1. Construction - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the construction industry to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly building materials.
2. Consumer Goods - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the consumer goods industry to implement stricter quality control measures to prevent the distribution of harmful products.
3. Environmental Services - Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the environmental services industry to provide specialized remediation services for homeowners dealing with toxic building materials.
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