China drywall 'made homes unsafe'

Homeowners have reported health problems and damage to wiring

The US and China have agreed to investigate reports that a widely used Chinese-made building material has made people in the US ill and damaged homes.

Residents of houses containing Chinese drywall say it smells like rotten eggs and has given them breathing problems.

The announcement of the probe followed talks in Beijing aimed at improving the safety standards of Chinese goods.

US officials say many houses involved were built in the past few years, in the wake of two destructive hurricanes.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it has received more than 1,500 complaints about Chinese drywall from 27 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Some homeowners say an overpowering smell of rotting eggs has made their houses uninhabitable.

They have complained of itchy eyes, nose bleeds, sinus infections, recurrent headaches, asthma attacks and other breathing difficulties.

As the symptoms tend to disappear soon after the person leaves the building and return when they go home, the CPSC said it appears they are "related to something within the home".

There have also been reports of metal fittings in homes being "blackened and corroded" by the drywall, with electrical wiring and gas pipes damaged.

Safety fears

In a joint statement issued after nearly a week of talks in Beijing, CPSC and its Chinese counterpart Aqsiq pledged to pursue "co-operative scientific and fact-based investigations" into the drywall to make sure the problems did not recur.

Most cases occurred in homes built in 2006 and 2007

CPSC chair Inez Tenenbaum said the US was "greatly appreciative" of China's offer of assistance.

She called on drywall producers to "do what is fair and just in each case if their products are involved", the Associated Press reports.

"We will continue to go up the supply chain to find out the source of the contaminated drywall and then we will be dealing directly with companies who are located in China," she said.

A senior Aqsiq official, Wei Chuanzhong, said China placed a "high priority" on the quality of its produce and would work closely with the US to "guarantee product quality and protect consumers' interests".

US officials say most of the drywall cases followed "an unprecedented increase in new construction" which "occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005".

The majority of the cases occurred in Florida and Louisiana, both states which were badly hit by hurricanes including Ivan and Katrina.

Authorities say no similar problems have been reported with US-made drywall.

The Beijing meeting followed a string of health and safety scandals involving Chinese exports to the US.

Contaminated toothpaste, poisonous pet food and toys containing dangerous levels of lead prompted the US to demand that Chinese improve its safety standards.