Reply #25: Here's more on the drywall

[GinaMaria]

Chinese drywall poses potential risks: At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who are concerned that the wallboard gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and silverware, and possibly sicken people. Shipping records reviewed by The Associated Press indicate that imports of potentially tainted Chinese building materials exceeded 500 million pounds during a four-year period of soaring home prices. The drywall may have been used in more than 100,000 homes, according to some estimates, including houses rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090411/ap_on_bi_ge/chinese_drywall

IOW,If you bought a new home during the boom, you've been hosed on the price. Your home is worth less than you paid for it. If that home was made with toxic cheap materials, you've really been hosed and your home is worth even less.