Absurdity, Allegory and China

In for a penny, in for a pound …

The first class-action lawsuit in the US state of Mississippi was filed last Friday in federal court in Gulfport, MS naming “Knauf Gips, Knauf Tianjin and Taishan, and possibly other unknown Chinese manufacturers” as defendants. This continues to build into what looks to be the next big products liability problem that China will take more major lumps on. The Florida Department of Health also released a 66-page report last Monday, though there is another investigation underway by Unified Engineering, a private Lab, due for release later today (Monday March 30 23: see here). What seems clear at this point, is that “moisture accelerates the release of volatiles from the drywall,” according to a letter from Lori Streit, a principal scientist with Unified.

I have been getting questions from readers in the US asking me where they can find info concerning this problem. The Florida Department of Health has a FAQ site, which I recommend those with questions have a look at. This is still new territory, so people are treading carefully.

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Update, March 31, 2009, 8:45 AM:

The following is from the WSJ from one hour ago:

Two U.S. Senators have filed a bill seeking a recall and temporary ban of certain Chinese-made drywall, the latest effort to address problems with Chinese-made drywall believed to be emitting unpleasant, sulfurous odors and causing unusual air-conditioner problems in homes from Florida to Louisiana.

Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced the bill, which also asks the Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a study in conjunction with the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Environmental Protection Agency. They want the study to include at least 10 samples of drywall that was imported from China during 2004 through 2007 and used in residential dwellings in the U.S. The study should include at least one sample of drywall from residences located in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia, according to the bill’s text. The bill is called the Drywall Safety Act of 2009.

This may be the action that brings a public response from the Chinese government. It should be interesting to watch how this one plays out in a time of heightened economic tensions. A trade ban on any Chinese product is bound to rattle a few cages, though it is not clear to me how much Chinese drywall, if any, is currently being exported to the US. This may, in fact, be posturing, but even if it is, it will, no doubt require a posturing response.