Flavor of the month - Chinese drywall

A lot has been written and debated about the use of Chinese drywall in Florida and other southern states, but federal money and Congressional studies are not the answer.

In fact, keep government out of this.

Apparently, here is what is going on. During the construction boom, domestic-made drywall shortages existed so we imported drywall. The boat didn't just pull up to the construction site, however.

The drywall went to a distributor. This means that a home could be made with both domestic and Chinese drywall - no way to tell without cutting away portions of the drywall to look for the "China" label.

Now the culprit seems to be sulfur which exists in the ground and was part of the gypsum that is mined for drywall in China. Can't fault this - it's as natural as radon. In the US we add coal ash to our drywall which alleviates this issue.

Sulfur will only offgas for a period of time, then no more issue.

So here's the deal. Forget studies. We know the issue. Encourage (financially if necessary as grants or loans) the startup, training, and equipping of entrepreneurial home inspection, testing, and remediation companies - hundreds of them. Let them go into people's homes, test, vent, treat, or whatever else is necessary, and soon the issue is over - all without any study of commission. Along the way, companies that will need to manufacture testing or remediation equipment can be started also. Alliances can be built. Business-to-business.

What started out as a dark cloud for home owners can be a a great day for business formation and employment.

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