Chinese Drywall Information from Congressman Wexler

Congressman Wexler is working with local, state, and federal government officials to develop solutions for families living in homes built with Chinese drywall. Many South Florida families have contacted the Congressman with serious concerns about the health and safety risks posed by this material.  The Congressman has toured homes in Parkland and in Boynton Beach affected by Chinese drywall, communicated with Governor Charlie Crist about statewide nature of this problem, and introduced legislation with Senator Bill Nelson banning the importation of this material.

Update: June 3, 2009

Congressman Wexler sent the following letter to constituents as an update:

Dear Friend,

I wanted to provide you with an update on recent efforts in Congress to address the problem of contaminated Chinese drywall in South Florida and other parts of the country.

On Wednesday, May 6, I along with Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis (R-CA) requesting that at least $2 million in emergency funding from the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Budget be provided for Chinese drywall testing.  This funding would allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission to more quickly reach a conclusion regarding the problem substances contained in the drywall, which is causing corrosion in home wiring and appliances, as well as possible serious health risks.  This request compliments the efforts by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to secure funding on the US Senate side of the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations process.

Also, on Thursday, May 7, an amendment that I introduced with Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart calling for the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in consultation with the Secretary of Treasury, to conduct a study of the effect of the presence of contaminated Chinese drywall on residential mortgage loan foreclosures, was added to the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.  The amendment also requires these agencies to study the availability of property insurance for homes where Chinese drywall is present. The legislation passed by a vote of 300 to 114 and has been sent to the Senate for their consideration.

Finally, on Friday, May 8, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and I sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Dr. Richard Besser urging the agencies to act as quickly as possible in testing and determining the health and safety risks posed by Chinese drywall.  In the letter, we emphasized the possibility that the effects of Chinese drywall could worsen with the summer heat and the need for swift action and encouraged the agencies to coordinate with the Florida Department of Health, which has already conducted some preliminary testing.

Families living in homes with Chinese drywall are facing a real emergency, and it is crucial that the federal government handle this situation as such.  The sooner these tests are completed, the sooner we will know what the appropriate actions are available to respond to this crisis.  This problem extends far beyond South Florida.  It is a growing national problem that deserves a swift federal response.

Parents who have found Chinese drywall in their homes and wish to leave out of concern for the safety and health of their children are facing the dilemma of how to find secondary housing and maintain their mortgages on their primary residences.  In addition, the values of these homes in most cases have plummeted due to this tainted drywall.  I look forward to working with Congressman Diaz-Balart, Senator Bill Nelson, and the rest of my colleagues in Congress who want to see the federal government act swiftly on this unfortunate issue.

As I receive information, I will make it available on my website (http://wexler.house.gov), so please use this website as a resource for updates on the status of this issue.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact my office in Boca Raton at (561) 988-6302 or my office in Washington at (202) 225-3001.

With warm regards,

Robert Wexler


Update: May 15, 2009

Congressman Wexler has taken several actions in recent weeks to help ensure a swift federal response to the growing Chinese drywall problem in South Florida and across the country. Watch video of Congressman Wexler speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives about this crucial issue.

On May 8, 2009, Congressman Wexler and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control urging swift action on the Chinese drywall crisis. Click here to read the letter and the press release. 

The same week, Congressman Wexler and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart passed the first federal legislation related to Chinese drywall by attaching an amendment to the Mortgage Reform and Predatory Lending Act of 2009.

Congressman Wexler has also requested emergency funding for federal agencies so that they can speedily conduct the necessary studies on Chinese drywall and isolate the exact chemicals within the material causing damage to people's homes and health risks to their families. Click here to read Congressman Wexler's appropriations request.

Update: April 24, 2009

Congressman Wexler participated in a multi-agency briefing on Thursday, April 23rd on Capitol Hill with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After the meeting, the Congressman sent the following letter to families living in homes containing Chinese drywall, as well as other individuals working to address this situation. Congressman Wexler will continue to update this webpage with pertinent information on this issue.

April 24, 2009

Dear Friends:

I wanted to provide you with an update on information relating to the status of the involvement of federal agencies in dealing with the problem of contaminated Chinese drywall in South Florida and other parts of the country. 

I took part in a multi-agency briefing on Thursday, April 23 on Capitol Hill with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three federal agencies currently engaged in the issue.  All three agencies have staff and resources currently contributing to the process of determining a way to test for the drywall issue in homes in an efficient and effective manner, determine the potential health hazards the Chinese drywall may be causing occupants of these homes, and develop solutions to assist homeowners with necessary repairs. 

While these agencies are fully committed to completing the scientific research necessary to understand the problem, an analysis of the drywall is complex and will take time.  I fully appreciate that it is important that testing and analyses are performed in a complete and accurate manner to achieve a full understanding of the problem this drywall poses and the possible risks this product poses.  The agencies have expressed that the process of determining the full extent of the problem and the best way to test in homes may take through the end of June.  While this timeline is not as short as anyone, myself included, would like to see, the agencies assured me that they are using every available resource and are treating the problem with the urgency we all agree it requires. Nevertheless, I plan to aggressively pursue possible efforts to fast-track the testing for quicker results.

At the meeting, I along with my Congressional colleagues reiterated to these agencies the urgent need to get information to homeowners who may be affected as quickly as possible.  I also expressed the urgent need for these agencies, as well as my colleagues in Congress, to develop solutions to assist homeowners in the interim while they are dealing with this issue.  We cannot leave homeowners, especially families, to languish while these tests are conducted.  At the same time, we must ensure this problem is resolved correctly the first time and that all people who are currently being affected or may be affected in the future are identified.

I have expressed to the agencies involved in this briefing the need to ensure information about their progress is easily accessible to homeowners, and they have all pledged to keep me informed as they gain knowledge of every aspect of this issue.  As I receive information, I will make it available on my website (http://wexler.house.gov), so please use this website as a resource for updates on the status of this issue.

Please know that I will continue working with Senator Bill Nelson and the rest of my colleagues in both the House of Representatives and Senate whose constituencies are also impacted by this issue to ensure all relevant agencies at the federal, state and local level are working as quickly as possible to ascertain a full and accurate picture of this problem.

With warm regards,

Robert Wexler 

The Florida Department of Health has launched a site dedicated to the Chinese drywall issue. The Florida Department of Health has released the following five signs that may indicate the presence of Chinese drywall in your home:
   1. There is presence of sulfur-like or other unusual odors
   2. Confirmed presence of Chinese manufactured drywall in the home
   3. Observed copper corrosion, indicated by black, sooty coating of un-insulated copper pipe leading to the air handling unit present in the garage or mechanical closet of home
   4. Documented failure of air conditioner evaporator coil (located inside the air handling unit)
   5. Confirmation by an outside expert or professional for the presence of premature copper corrosion on un-insulated copper wires and/or air conditioner evaporator coils (inside the air handling unit)