Herald-Tribune – January 8, 2013
Drywall regulation that is headed to the president for signing this week was a long time coming. Too long.
Faulty drywall, which made its way into thousands of homes, hit the market beginning in 2004. Afflicted homeowners complained of foul smells and corrosion — likely caused by drywall with excessive sulfur content — but help came only slowly after years of studies, lawsuits, bureaucratic struggles and international wrangling. In the meantime, residents were often stuck with huge repair bills and sometimes uninhabitable — and unsellable — houses.
Earlier this month, Congress finally passed the Drywall Safety Act; President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon. It may be two more years before some of the key measures are implemented, however.
Under the act, drywall used in home construction would not be allowed to exceed certain sulfur standards. The “gypsum board” would have to be labeled so that the manufacturer is identifiable, and guidelines would be set to improve home remediation and prohibit the reuse of contaminated drywall.
The legislation is not fully satisfactory, in part because some specifics have yet to be set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The act also lacks teeth to hold accountable the Chinese companies implicated in much of the faulty drywall.
Even with these shortcomings, the measure is welcome because it should reduce the chance that future consumers will suffer the kind of nightmare that engulfed affected homeowners in Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, Puerto Rico and other locales. Some victims were not only driven out of their homes by the fumes from bad drywall; they were financially ruined because their houses basically had to be rebuilt.
Some of those harmed in the drywall fiasco will be helped via legal settlements in which certain builders and manufacturers have agreed to pay for remediation. But when it comes to foreign manufacturers, the U.S. has only limited legal leverage against them, experts say.
A lack of cooperation from the Chinese is particularly troubling — and self-defeating. The more resistant that Chinese manufacturers are to accountability, the more distrust they will earn in the U.S. market. Since the American market is vital to China’s economy, it behooves China to play fair.
All manufacturers, whether domestic or foreign, should meet basic, recognized safety standards. This is especially important for materials used in the construction of a home, where exposure to chemicals can be prolonged. Also, a home often represents a family’s largest investment; flawed materials can turn it into a financial disaster.
Sadly, the drywall scandal exposed government and political weaknesses in the face of a crisis. Though Congress earlier passed some minor relief measures, too often homeowners got delays instead of practical help. The Drywall Safety Act doesn’t promise a cure for that ill. But its clarified sulfur standards bring a needed dose of prevention to the cause.
via Editorial: Finally, a drywall safety law | HeraldTribune.com.