Amid a growing chorus of complaints, two U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to recall Chinese-made drywall and to ban further imports until federal safety standards are developed. Meanwhile, Florida’s governor has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help the state develop and implement chemical-testing strategies.

Chinese-made drywall could be the cause of household corrosion and sulfur smells.
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Photo: Florida Dept. of Health
Chinese-made drywall could be the cause of household corrosion and sulfur smells.

参议员比尔·尼尔森（Bill Nelson）（D-FLA。）和玛丽·L·兰德里乌（Mary L. Landrieu）（D-la。）在3月30日提出了立法，要求消费者产品安全委员会召回中国制造的石膏板并与联邦测试实验室合作，以确定确切的危险水平通过从干式墙上进行瓦解。该法案还要求临时禁止进口。Landrieu说：“这种有缺陷的中国干墙代表了对我们的房主的袭击，对我们的房屋建筑商的欺骗性以及我们康复道路上的另一个障碍。”“联邦政府现在有责任评估问题的全部范围并立即禁止进一步进口。”

参议员说，自2006年以来，已经向美国进口了超过5.5亿磅的石膏板，有60％的人去佛罗里达州。纳尔逊说，同一时期约有6000万磅到达路易斯安那州，并在密西西比州到达密西西比州2700万磅。兰德里乌（Landrieu）和纳尔逊（Nelson）估计60,000至100,000户房屋可能包含“潜在有缺陷的干墙”。受到进口材料影响的其他州包括弗吉尼亚州，阿拉巴马州和加利福尼亚州。

今年早些时候，在佛罗里达州提起了几项诉讼，指控来自Knauf Gips KG，Knauf石膏板Tianjin Co. Ltd.（KPT）和Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd.产生了硫化气体和铜线和管道的腐蚀。KPT表示，其半英寸的石膏板是在2006年1月至10月之间进口的，占2005年至2007年间进口的中国石膏板的20％。

At least 289 complaints have been recorded by the Florida Dept. of Health (FDOH). On April 3, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) wrote the Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting assistance with chemical testing. He noted that preliminary FDOH tests confirmed “the presence of strontium sulfide and elemental sulfur in drywall from China.”

此外，该测试证实，干墙会在暴露于高湿度或热量时产生硫化氢，羰基硫化物和二硫化碳。克里斯特说：“所有这些化合物都能够引起投诉房屋中发现的腐蚀类型，并且在足够的浓度下可能造成健康危害。”他希望一项测试计划查看是否有保健咨询。

In late January, FDOH commissioned an analysis of four drywall samples: one American-made, one unmarked, one marked Knauf and one marked Made in China. The report from Unified Engineering Inc., Aurora, Ill., noted there is a distinct difference in drywall manufactured in the U.S. and China. “The Chinese samples contained traces of strontium sulfide inclusions and more organic material than the [U.S.] sample,” it said. “However, it is not yet known if either contributed to the odor. The Chinese samples gave off a sulfur odor when exposed to extreme heat and moisture.”

同一房子可能已经使用了不同类型的石膏板。FDOH新闻秘书Susan S. Smith说：“我们正在确定一个实验室，以进一步测试室内空气样品。”