Drywall imported from China is being investigated in the U.S. after more than 300 homeowners in 18 states complained of health problems they linked to the product.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a government organization that acts a consumer watchdog, launched a website this week to provide more information on the issue and to enable homeowners to register their complaints.

The commission said in the June 2009 edition of the Safety Review, its monthly online newsletter, that it is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to study drywall concerns.

According to media reports, the drywall is believed to emit corrosive gases.

The EPA released a report in May that said it tested a small sample of Chinese-made drywall and found sulphur along with two organic compounds associated with acrylic paint. The substances were not found in U.S.-made drywall.

On its website, the commission said consumers have reported a "rotten egg" smell in their homes and complained of irritated and itchy eyes and skin, difficulty breathing, persistent coughs, nosebleeds and runny noses, recurrent headaches, sinus infections and asthma attacks.

Consumers have also reported blackened or corroded metal in electrical components, air conditioning units, plumbing and appliances.

The commission said it is studying the claims and also trying to trace the origin of the drywall and determine where it was distributed in the U.S. The CPSC said it is working with its counterpart in China on the issue.

According to the Safety Review, consumers making the complaints report that their homes were built from 2006 to 2007, a time when much construction was undertaken, in part because of devastating hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

The majority of complaints have come from homeowners in Florida, but complaints have also been received from Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Washington D.C.