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Our View - Forget the Bottom Line
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Opinion
Chinese import problems keep growing, and now, they may have worked their way into your home.
Recent reports indicate that drywall imported from China contains toxic chemicals and outputs a sulfuric gas that damages homes, corrodes pipes and could cause health problems .
Making this situation even more unfortunate is the fact that much of the overseas product was imported following Hurricane Katrina and was used to rebuild homes that were destroyed in the storm. It's estimated that as many as 100,000 homes could contain the toxic wallboard.
Some are blaming U.S. agencies in charge of approving imports, others are blaming the Chinese government and their export inspections, and still others are blaming the commercial companies that bought and sold the tainted product.
We blame our society's fixation on the bottom line.
Like many things imported from China, the drywall was popular because it was cheap, and we all know how that price tag drives everything we do here in our great land.
The problem is, when we forget quality and instead focus only on money, we're bound to run into problems -- some that could seriously jeopardize human health. Really then, everyone's to blame.
Governments should be putting money and effort into ensuring their organizations responsible for health concerns are functioning properly and preventing dangerous situations. Companies should put their customers' health and satisfaction with their products or services above their profit margin. And we, as consumers, need to place more value on quality products, instead of always cutting corners.
In terms of hospital bills, in the case of health hazards from shoddy, dangerous consumer items, cheap may not always be cheap in the long run.
Recent reports indicate that drywall imported from China contains toxic chemicals and outputs a sulfuric gas that damages homes, corrodes pipes and could cause health problems .
Making this situation even more unfortunate is the fact that much of the overseas product was imported following Hurricane Katrina and was used to rebuild homes that were destroyed in the storm. It's estimated that as many as 100,000 homes could contain the toxic wallboard.
Some are blaming U.S. agencies in charge of approving imports, others are blaming the Chinese government and their export inspections, and still others are blaming the commercial companies that bought and sold the tainted product.
We blame our society's fixation on the bottom line.
Like many things imported from China, the drywall was popular because it was cheap, and we all know how that price tag drives everything we do here in our great land.
The problem is, when we forget quality and instead focus only on money, we're bound to run into problems -- some that could seriously jeopardize human health. Really then, everyone's to blame.
Governments should be putting money and effort into ensuring their organizations responsible for health concerns are functioning properly and preventing dangerous situations. Companies should put their customers' health and satisfaction with their products or services above their profit margin. And we, as consumers, need to place more value on quality products, instead of always cutting corners.
In terms of hospital bills, in the case of health hazards from shoddy, dangerous consumer items, cheap may not always be cheap in the long run.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Tom
posted 4/13/09 @ 11:08 AM MST
I would extend your argument about the perils of importing cheap goods from China to a call for everyone to reconsider shopping at Wal-Mart. 70% of all Wal-Mart sales involve imported Chinese-made products. (Continued…)
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