# Chinese drywall danger **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186 "2009-04-15T16:59:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/41 "2009-04-17T19:58:25Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > January: > [FDA: Peanut plant knew product was tainted with salmonella](http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/28/salmonella.outbreak/index.html) > > April: > [FDA Hasn’t Intensified Inspections At Peanut Facilities, Despite Illness](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/02/AR2009040203728.html?hpid=sec-health) > I guess this is peanuts rather than milk, still we may yet have a few lessons to learn about the role of greed in capitalism ourselves. Yes, some people speak like an American tobacco company would never lie about the harm done by smoking. Or asbestos, or breast implants, or meat tainted with E. Coli (but, hey!, it was first quality E. Coli!), or the infamous [PB piping](http://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html). I guess it must be that Americans are all greedy bastards who would do anything to make a buck, even if it endangers middle class families, with their cute babies and lovely puppies. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/42 "2009-04-17T21:14:04Z")
The dreaded Chinese Drywall Danger…it’s the great Red Menace of our times!! :eek: (I agree…we need to tighten regulations on things being imported from China. It’s fairly clear that while they have stringent regulations and standards in China, they don’t actually use any of them depending on the whims of the local General or Political honcho in charge of any given factory or region.) -XT ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/43 "2009-04-18T14:35:27Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > I am usually opposed to quoting peoples whole post but I think this may be an exception. I think this was perhaps the best post I have ever read on this or any board. Not for it’s brilliance or insight although it was both, but because it caused a paradigm shift in my own thinking. I have long felt like many posters in this thread and I did not like that in myself. This post shifted the way I thought and completely changed my mind on the issue. Thank you for that Sailor. I appreciate your compliment. I’m glad my post could show you another point of view. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/44 "2009-04-18T15:10:03Z")
China did not have to invent industry and technology. Our companies gladly took it over there, lock stick and intellectual property, for short term profits and lower labor costs. They were up and running and competitive as soon as we did. But in industry cutting corners makes money. The new Chinese industries did not have to deal with much regulation. There have been several problems with Chinas exports. We all know the cat and dog food poisoning. The antifreeze in the toothpaste was not long ago. Drywall is just another one. I looked up the China export problems and they have exported a lot of dangerous products to many countries. It makes money. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/45 "2009-04-18T15:40:45Z")
[Behind bad baby milk, an ethical gap in China's business - CSMonitor.com](http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0917/p01s03-woap.html) I doubt the parents of these babies will just chalk the problem off to inchoate industries. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/46 "2009-04-18T15:44:46Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > China did not have to invent industry and technology. Our companies gladly took it over there, lock stick and intellectual property, for short term profits and lower labor costs. They were up and running and competitive as soon as we did. But in industry cutting corners makes money. The new Chinese industries did not have to deal with much regulation. > There have been several problems with Chinas exports. We all know the cat and dog food poisoning. The antifreeze in the toothpaste was not long ago. Drywall is just another one. I looked up the China export problems and they have exported a lot of dangerous products to many countries. It makes money. It does not make China money in the long term or even in the short term. It is just ridiculous to assert that China does this deliberately or that it is their policy because every case damages their exports. These are cases which happen in China and they happen in America, even if to a lower extent. China was a primitive country just thirty years ago and they are still a long way from having the regulations common in western countries. And in great part that is because they cannot afford them yet. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/47 "2009-04-18T17:01:35Z")
They have the regulations Sailor…they just don’t enforce them, or enforce them selectively. I agree with you that they don’t do this stuff intentionally…but you are beating your head against the wall arguing such a thing with gonzomax. No amount of logic or reason is going to get through to him…he’s simply unreachable. -XT ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186/48 "2009-04-18T17:15:47Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > It does not make China money in the long term or even in the short term. It is just ridiculous to assert that China does this deliberately or that it is their policy because every case damages their exports. These are cases which happen in China and they happen in America, even if to a lower extent. > > China was a primitive country just thirty years ago and they are still a long way from having the regulations common in western countries. And in great part that is because they cannot afford them yet. Who said deliberately? But when they put the glycol in the toothpaste it was a conscious decision. My guess is they knew it was dangerous. It was however profitable. The intent in not to poison. It is to make money. Poisoning is just a result of cutting corners. I do not know how Chinese regulations stack up to ours. I do know one of the reasons we started offshoring was to avoid regulation . This crap had to be expected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-drywall-danger/493186.md?page=2)