Homebuilder: No Chinese drywall used in Capital Region

While suits over foul smelling Chinese-made drywall have sprung up across metro New Orleans and Florida, there’s no evidence the material was used in metro Baton Rouge. “Thank God,” says Joe Didier, chairman of the Capital Region Builders Association. Didier says the drywall used by local builders comes from U.S., Canadian and Mexican manufacturers. There have been more than 40 lawsuits filed across the U.S. by people who claim to have suffered an allergic reaction from foul smelling drywall. New Orleans Saints football Coach Sean Payton and his wife are among those who are suing. Didier says the issue is a high sulfur content in some of the drywall made in one Chinese plant, which gives off a rotten egg smell when it gets moist. Local builders have been tracking the suits involving the Chinese drywall, which went through the port of New Orleans. “The National Association of Home Builders formed a task force to get a finger on the pulse of this thing,” he says. “But it’s a non-issue here.”—Timothy Boone