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Consumer groups express concern that Chinese-made drywall is toxic
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Consumer groups express concern that Chinese-made drywall is toxic
Like many industries, home-building has gone global. A non-profit consumer advocacy group is raising concern that one essential component of new home construction &ndash drywall &ndash could contain toxic and even radioactive material. Thomas Martin of America's Watchdog says the suspect building material made in China is widely used in Florida, Texas and Louisiana.
Thomas Martin: "On at least the Chinese drywall we’ve discovered in the Southeast, this stuff is making people really sick. I mean deathly sick. We have two confirmed causes as examples of 10-year-old boys, who have emphysema in houses with non smokers. We have pulmonologists and neurologists that are warning us that exposure to these kinds of toxic chemicals could be fatal."
Martin told KPCC’s Patt Morrison that the Chinese drywall is much less expensive than American-manufactured drywall. A homebuilders’ trade association says the imported material is not common in California houses.
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