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ENVIRONMENTAL & BUILDING INDUSTRY
NEWS
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Inspection Today ---
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
report on your desk next week |
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Whoa!
Didn’t see that one coming…
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Since
plaster as a building material of choice evolved (or
devolved) into drywall, all drywall used in
construction in this country has been manufactured in
the good ol’ US of A, and that was the case up to
2005. It is since then that federal regulators
studying health problems associated with imported
Chinese drywall say they have received reports of such
problems in 24 states from
Florida
to California .
This
story began in
Florida
where it primarily involved homes built or renovated
in 2005 and 2006, when a building boom and
post-hurricane reconstruction caused a U.S.
drywall shortage that spurred builders to turn to
imports.
Complaints
and lawsuits allege that Chinese drywall, also known
as sheetrock and wallboard, emits toxic vapors and
chemicals that cause corrosion in electrical wiring,
heating and air conditioning systems, refrigerators,
plumbing components, faucets, lighting fixtures and
household appliances such as microwaves.
Attorneys
have said that Chinese drywall is dangerous because it
was made with fly ash – waste material from
scrubbers on coal-fired power plants – and the
drywall emits sulfur compounds including sulfur
dioxide and hydrogen sulfide and the Consumer Product
Safety Commission has fielded complaints that the
results for humans include allergic reactions,
coughing, sinus and throat infections, nose bleeds,
eye irritation, respiratory problems and other health
issues.
A
CNN news affiliate WFTS–TV reported Dick and Nancy
Nelson, who bought a new-build Florida retirement home
in 2006 say the home has Chinese-manufactured drywall
and contend all their appliances with copper are
failing. "The washing machine, the dryer,
the microwave, a refrigerator – these are all
brand-new appliances, and they're breaking down,"
Nancy Nelson of Palmetto told the
Tampa
station. The Nelsons are among those who have
complained to the state health department.
According
to CNN, Michael Foreman, head of construction
consulting firm Foreman & Associates in Sarasota
,
Florida , said he's been investigating drywall
complaints in that state since last year. Based
on shipping records, Foreman estimates the
United States
in 2006 and the first two months of 2007 imported
enough drywall from Chinese manufacturers to produce
at least 50,000 homes at a size of 2,000 square feet
each.
Isn’t
this whole situation combined with safety problems
with other Chinese exports ranging from toys to pet
food, as well as the current tenuous condition of our
economy just one more good reason to look for the
label and buy products manufactured in the USA
?
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In
many parts of the country, cooler weather is on the way.
As the weather cools and the days grow shorter we spend
more time indoors. With windows closed and less airflow
radon progeny can accumulate and concentrate resulting in higher
indoor radon levels and increased risk. Every
house has some radon and many have levels higher than
considered safe by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). EPA recommends that levels in all homes be
less that 2 pCi/l.
Check the radon
risk exposure chart
to determine what risk is acceptable to your family.
Now
is the time to have your home tested for radon and the most
economical method is to test it yourself. EPA
recommends periodic radon testing due to the potential for radon
concentrations in any home to rise or fall over time as a result
of natural and normal changes in underground conditions.
Even if you tested your home last year and the radon risk
level was acceptable to you then, the radon risk level could
be very different now and that’s why we recommend annual
testing.
Another way to be confident that your radon levels are safe is to
install an digital
radon monitor
in your home.
You likely already have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide
detectors in your home and a radon detector functions in much the
same way with one outstanding difference.
An electronic radon detector has a digital display
so you can see at any time the radon level in your home displayed
in pCi/l, and your radon detector also has a siren to alert you if
your indoor radon level exceeds 4 pCi/l.
Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors only alert
you when extreme conditions exist but radon detectors give you the
confidence of knowing average radon concentrations and whether the
are rising or falling.
An electronic radon detector allows you to monitor
radon levels in your home every day all year long.
click
here now for more information on radon
test kits and/or digital monitors from
RadonZone.
Banks
Face Fines from Compliance Violations
Lenders who
foreclose on abandoned or unfinished development projects may be
unaware of the environmental compliance laws that apply to them. For
example, in
Georgia
lenders are facing fines for failing to control erosion on
unfinished residential developments. State
law requires developers and builders to limit erosion, which
protects other land and water sources from damage. When a property
goes into foreclosure, that duty shifts to the property's new
owner, the lender. So
far, almost $60k in fines has been levied on banks in
Georgia
for erosion violations this year.
There are other compliance laws that may be overlooked by banks,
and they can vary by state. Some compliance problems that lenders
across the country are running into, including storm water, air
quality, hazardous waste, and toxic substance violations. Regulators
say that most banks are either unaware of the environmental
compliance laws or see the cost of correcting compliance
violations as unnecessary when faced with so many other issues in
the declining real estate market.
Some lenders have implemented comprehensive environmental
compliance programs for their foreclosed and repossessed
properties to avoid liability. Regulators
in some states are recommending that lenders contact them
regarding foreclosed properties in order maintain existing
environmental permits and avoid mounting compliance violation
fees, which can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of
thousands of dollars. Environmental
consultants should make their lender clients aware that there may
be environmental risks beyond those examined during normal
environmental due diligence activities and that often simple steps
can be taken to ensure compliance with environmental laws.
This
Information was compiled by Environmental Data Resources (EDR®).
EDR® is database information provider to Due
Diligence Inspection & Assessment Services and the leading
U.S.
environmental database information provider.
Return to
usaDueDiligence
home page
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