[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H11560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NASA SPACE MOMENT AND PERILS OF CHINESE DRYWALL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, it's a critical time for NASA and our 
Nation's leadership in space, as you well know.
  With the looming retirement of the space shuttle and the risks of a 
growing space gap, we are losing tens of thousands of additional jobs 
across the United States. These are jobs in industries that develop the 
cutting-edge technology that raises our standard of living and helps 
American businesses compete.
  NASA has been at the cutting edge of technology, leading to so many 
devices and luxuries that we use every single day. Imagine what a day 
without NASA products would be like.
  First, you may not have had a good night's sleep if you normally 
sleep on one of those temper foam mattresses or pillows, which were 
originally designed by NASA as a shock absorber. You may have even 
overslept without NASA's quartz timing in your alarm clock.
  Being green won't help you get ready for work in the morning if you 
have a solar hot water heater installed in your roof, because 
cosmetics, toothpaste and many perfumes find their roots in NASA.
  Before you head out the door, you may have difficulty getting an 
accurate weather forecast due to the lack of weather satellites coming 
out of our Nation's space program.
  Better use a landline telephone to call work and let them know you 
are running a little behind, because cell phones and other wireless 
devices will be out of service on a day without NASA-derived 
technology.
  Getting to work might be a challenge as well, particularly if you 
drive a hybrid. The lithium-ion battery in your hybrid was developed 
with NASA engineering expertise and tested at the Kennedy Space Center. 
Get rid of that temper foam seat on your motorcycle that you might ride 
to work.
  Don't plan on flying to that vacation or important job conference. 
NASA-developed flight tracking and management software is used by air 
traffic controllers. It probably won't surprise you that flight safety 
software was developed by NASA. Just in case you find yourself on an 
airline, it may be a bumpy ride without NASA software that informs the 
pilots of turbulent conditions.
  Work may be a little difficult too without access to NASA computer 
technology and their wireless headsets.
  These are just some of the reasons we must also support the 
President's promise to close the space gap between the shuttle and the 
Constellation Program and keep America first in space.
  I will share more about NASA technology with you in our next space 
moment.
  In the meantime, on an unrelated but another important topic, as a 
member of the Contaminated Drywall Caucus and a representative of an 
area impacted by contaminated drywall, I wanted to take a few minutes 
to draw the attention of my colleagues to this also very important 
issue.
  Between 2004 and 2008, many homes were built using what has turned 
out to be organically contaminated drywall. Homes in 26 States and the 
District of Columbia are affected. It is particularly problematic in 
areas like Florida where we have high humidity.
  A little over a year ago, it was discovered that the source of a 
number of corrosion issues and health symptoms were likely due to 
contaminated drywall originating in China. Since then, we have been 
working hard to find a solution, and what we have discovered is pretty 
disturbing.
  The contaminated drywall consists of toxic and semi-toxic substances 
which release harmful gases. Many of these homes are filled with a 
pungent sulfuric odor which has since been linked to adverse health 
conditions. Some families have already been forced to move out of their 
homes for fear of long-term health effects.
  These gases are also responsible for devastating corrosion to many 
standard household materials such as copper and brass fittings, air 
conditioner coils, electrical systems, and even fire alarms. We don't 
know if there is a valid remediation protocol short of pulling all of 
the contaminated boards out and replacing them.
  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been tasked as the lead 
Federal agency and is working with the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development and the Environmental Protection Agency to find solutions. 
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will soon release a study to 
answer some of the questions. They are also working on a remediation 
protocol.
  The Consumer Product Safety Commission must work closely with all 
parties, seriously consider the results of private studies and share 
the results of their own studies with all stakeholders. We need all 
parties to be part of a quick and permanent solution.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking all those who are 
working so hard on this issue and in calling on the CPSC to bring 
forward their study results quickly.

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