Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu files bill to ban defective Chinese wall board.

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would impose an immediate ban on defective drywall being imported from China, and an immediate recall on such materials already in the country.

The bill, S. Res. 91, filed by Sens. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., was filed in response to problems associated with Chinese drywall installed in homes in Florida, Louisiana and other states.

The use of the material, which in some cases emits rotten egg-like odors, destroys residential wiring and appliances, and poses potential health risks, has been the subject of a number of recent class action lawsuits. Florida homebuilders and state officials have confirmed the presence of sulfide gases in homes built with the drywall.

The legislation would direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall the Chinese-made drywall and work with federal testing labs and the Environmental Protection Agency to determine the level of hazard posed by certain chemicals and as yet unidentified organic compounds in the drywall. It would also ban imports until safety standards are reviewed to ensure that consumers are protected in the future.

"This defective Chinese drywall represents an attack on our homeowners, a defrauding of our homebuilders and another obstacle on our road to recovery," Landrieu said in a statement. "The Consumer Product Safety Commission should have been the first line of defense in preventing this inferior product from entering the U.S. market in the first place."

The potential risk to homeowners in Florida and Louisiana is particularly great, lawmakers said, because large quantities of drywall from China was used in reconstruction efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While Florida has received 60 percent of imported Chinese drywall since 2006, Louisiana has the second highest amount, with 60.2 million pounds of imported Chinese drywall used in an estimated 7,000 homes in Louisiana.