Do you like farts? Documents and depositions unearthed by ProPublica and the Sarasota Harold-Tribune show exchanges between homebuilder WCI Communities and drywall distributor Banner that reveal the sulfur-emitting drywall problem was known as far back as 2006, and yet customers and authorities were not notified. In one deposition, a Banner executive refuses to admit that sulfur-stinking drywall might bother others, seeing as he himself, on certain occasions, enjoys the sweet aroma of another man’s butt gas:

ProPublica:

In one exchange, Coral Gables attorney Ervin Gonzalez asked Giering, “If you had drywall in your house and you had to replace it all, that would be a problem for you, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m not sure what you would define (as a) ‘problem,'” Giering said

When Gonzalez compared the smell to rotten eggs, Giering responded, “Some people happen to like rotten egg smells.”

When Gonzalez asked, “Smells like flatulence, doesn’t it?” Giering replied, “Some people happen to like that.”

“Do you?” Gonzalez asked.

“Depends on how nasty it is,” Giering responded.

Breathtaking. This man deserves some kind of award. Maybe a statue of bronzed pants with flames shooting out. “For Distinguished Excellence in Dissembling.”

The CPSC recommends (PDF) that homeowners afflicted with sulfur-emitting drywall immediately rip it all out and replace a number of house components that can pose safety hazards after getting tainted by the sulfur, including electrical wiring, switches and breakers, outlets, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire sprinkler systems, and gas lines. Basically, gut your house.

Tainted Chinese Drywall Concerns Went Unreported for Two Years [ProPublica]

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