Sino-US trade relations are on the nose again, literally, with the latest stink being a Chinese building product that reportedly smells like rotten eggs and corrodes pipes.
Hundreds of US lawsuits have been filed against exporters of so-called Chinese drywall over the past few months, with claims the material smells and causes air-conditioning failures and pipe corrosion.
The drywall litigation, which could eventually cost up to US$25 billion, adds to growing trade tensions between China and the US and follows a recent spat over US anti-dumping moves on Chinese tyres. Sino-US trade relations are yet to recover from recalls of allegedly dangerous Chinese toys in 2007.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has received almost 1,200 complaints against drywall from consumers, mostly related to homes built with drywall imported from China. Many complainants are Hurricane Katrina victims.
'Addressing this issue is the most expensive and expansive investigation going on at [the commission],' said Scott Wolfson, the director of the commission's office of information and public affairs.
Some people have reported irritated eyes and skin, breathing difficulties, persistent coughs, nosebleeds, runny noses, recurrent headaches, sinus infection and asthma attacks.