Two U.S. senators working to ban Chinese drywall

Two U.S. senators are working to ban tainted building products from China, similar to what was used in some Chesapeake and Virginia Beach homes.

Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Mary Landrieu, D-La., filed the legislation Monday after a spike of reported of problems with imported drywall across the country, a news release from their offices said.

The legislation calls for a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall on Chinese-made drywall, based in part on findings by a Florida homebuilder and state officials who confirmed the presence of sulfide gases in homes built with the drywall. The bill also asks that testing be done to determine the level of hazard posed by the chemicals and compounds in the drywall.

“I believe you’re going to see this is widespread,” Nelson said in the news release.

Landrieu said: “The federal government now has a responsibility to assess the full scope of the problem and immediately prohibit further importation.”

In Hampton Roads, the Dragas Companies confirmed last week that a subcontractor, unbeknownst to the development firm, installed Chinese-made drywall that appears to emit a sulfur-based gas in some homes at The Hampshires at Greenbrier in Chesapeake and in Cromwell Park in Virginia Beach.

The Dragas Companies is inspecting nearly 60 homes to determine whether they contain the defective drywall. Gases emitted from defective drywall may corrode air conditioning coils and may damage other electrical and mechanical systems in the homes.

The company said it is paying to fix homes with imported drywall and helping residents relocate while work is being done. Chesapeake city and health department officials are investigating as well.

Representatives for four major local homebuilders said last week they did not buy or use Chinese drywall in the construction of any homes, even as demand for drywall skyrocketed during the housing boom in 2006.

Pilot staff writer Mike Saewitz contributed to this story.