Federal and state agencies have followed its stinky trail and taken action on the toxic drywall from China that ManufactureThis has been discussing with our readers for months. But now – finally! -- the national press is addressing the serious affects of this drywall after it has been inflicted upon many homes in the U.S. A March 23 report by Time magazine on the noxious drywall is the first national story on this substandard product the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has been reporting on since January. The article asks "Is Dry Wall the Next Chinese Import Scandal?" The answer to that is, of course, “I dunno – what time is it?” It seems that every day there is a report of yet another round of substandard or dangerous Chinese products in the news or on a consumer alert.. However, ManufactureThis is glad to see a spotlight finally emerging on poisonous drywall (so far) found in homes in Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, Texas, and Alabama. The problems with this drywall go far beyond just living in a house that smells like a six-week-old egg salad sandwich wrapped in gym socks. Chinese manufacturers are sending us drywall containing deadly sulphur and other toxic particulates that corrode electrical and air conditioning wires, discolor wood furniture and cause homeowners to have trouble breathing, experience rashes, joint pain and irritation to eyes, nose and throat. To fix the problem, builders are often having to tear the home down to the studs. The cost to replace the drywall and other deteriorated materials in homes is high, but the risk of ingesting or inhaling toxic particulates or having fires behind walls or in HVAC units is of greater concern. Before 2005, U.S. builders and contractors only used domestically produced drywall. However the cumulative affects of the housing boom of the last eight years combined with heavy rebuilding efforts after hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 increased demand so quickly and that drywall shortages began to appear, most heavily in the hurricane hit areas. Subsequently, more than 550 million pounds of Chinese drywall has shown up on American shores since early 2006. Although the Chinese manufacturer claims there is no problem with their drywall, homeowners and builders have already filed lawsuits based on health and cost concerns. Sure, there are regulations on the books in China that govern drywall production, but very few are followed by manufacturers or enforced by Chinese officials. As we have noted previously, in view of declining home values and job loss in the U.S., the last thing homeowners need is to have their homes labeled as “toxic.” And as builders and contractors struggle to keep their employees on the payroll, the last thing they need is working on high costs re-do’s instead of new projects that produce income. The first thing the federal government needs to do is station modern Minutemen on the docks at the port of Miami and not allow even one container of crappy Chinese drywall to unload itself into our country. Not a single one.