Toxic Chinese drywall turns U.S. homes into smelly cancer traps

Foul-smelling drywall imported from China could sully future earnings of mega-homebuilder Hovanian Enterprises (HOV), The Wall Street Journal reports. But Hovnanian's problems with bad drywall could be just a fraction of stinky imported building materials that may have turned thousands of U.S. homes into cancer traps.

The drywall may be in tens of thousands of U.S. dwellings; no one knows the extent of the problem, but more than 1,200 homeowners have complained of noxious odors seeping from walls, and corrosion to mirrors, outlets, air conditioners, and even jewelry, according to The Los Angeles Times. The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating, and the Senate has brought up its own concerns.