The Chinese drywall saga continues as homeowner complaints, governmental studies, and court cases multiply. To date, over 2,000 consumers have contacted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to report problems in their homes. According to the CPSC, the primary complaints are: 1) corrosion, or blackening, of indoor metals, such as electrical components and central air conditioning system evaporator coils; and 2) various health symptoms, including persistent cough, bloody and runny noses, headaches, difficulty in breathing and irritated and itchy eyes and skin.

The CPSC has become the lead agency in an interagency task force investigating the problem. Other federal and state agencies include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the health departments of various states, including Florida, Louisiana, and Virginia.

In an effort to compile specific data, this interagency's Identification and Remediation Protocol Team of scientists and engineers conducted an intensive study of 51 impacted homes. While the subsequent report, released November 23, presents extensive information, data, and charts on the homes in the study, it may also have significantly broadened the scope of the problem. According to a CPSC press release, a small number of homeowners are now reporting that American-made drywall is causing some of the same problems as the imported product, i.e, a sickening, sulfurous stench and corroded pipes and wiring. Indeed, CPSC Spokesperson Scott Wolfson recently said, "We are not limited in the scope of our investigation to just Chinese drywall."