The 2009 Chinese drywall controversy is a health and safety issue involving defective drywall manufactured in China and imported by the United States starting in 2001. Laboratory tests of samples for volatile chemicals have identified emissions of the sulfurous gases carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, and hydrogen sulfide. These emissions, which have the odor of rotten eggs, worsen as temperature and humidity rise and cause copper surfaces to turn black and powdery, a chemical process indicative of reaction with hydrogen sulfide. Copper pipes, wiring, and air conditioner coils are affected, as well as silver jewelry. Homeowners have reported a variety of symptoms, including respiratory problems such as asthma attacks, chronic coughing and difficulty breathing, as well as chronic headaches and sinus issues.
Due to this problem's recent nature, there are currently no government or industry standards for inspecting contaminated drywall in homes. Professionals who have handled contaminated drywall in the past may know how to inspect for sulfur compounds but there are no agencies that offer certification in this form of inspection.
Some of the quick items to look for area: Was your home built or did you have new drywall installed between 2001-2008? Do you notice a certain smell or odor when first entering your home, especially when not running the A/C? Does this smell dissipate soon after you've been in the home? (It doesn't always have a smell, especially in partially tainted homes). Have you had A/C problems? Have you replaced your evaporator coils? Have you noticed your faucets corroding or do they have black spots that are hard to remove? Have you noticed blackened copper on refrigeration lines, wiring, plumbing or gas lines?
Officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states -- Florida, Louisiana and Alabama -- while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control recently announced they found no link between the deaths of eleven people and homes with Chinese drywall. Click here for a link to that report and others filed with the Consumer Produce Safety Commission. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging the CDC to do comprehensive study into the long term health effects from prolonged exposure to sulfur. But there's one lesson our scientist said we should take away from this experiment. "It keeps going on. It keeps accumulating so unless you take it out you're still going to have that reaction happening in your house," said Hejzlar.
That's why the Consumer Product Safety commission is recommending anyone who finds out they have this product in their home--remove it.
Lab comparisons of Chinese- and American-made drywall show significantly higher levels of pyrite in the Chinese material. This suggests that pyrite oxidation may be the source of the sulfur compounds released by Chinese drywall. The problems have been attributed to the use of fly ash in the drywall, which degrades in the presence of heat and moisture; although United States' drywall uses fly ash as well, the process used creates a cleaner final product. According to a 2010 laboratory study, one hundred percent of affected drywall samples obtained from homes located in the southeastern United States tested positive for the presence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, an iron and sulfur reducing bacterium. Samples of non-contaminated drywall were found to contain only miscible levels of T. ferroxidans.
Due to this problem's recent nature, there are currently no government or industry standards for inspecting contaminated drywall in homes. Professionals who have handled contaminated drywall in the past may know how to inspect for sulfur compounds but there are no agencies that offer certification in this form of inspection.
Some of the quick items to look for area: Was your home built or did you have new drywall installed between 2001-2008? Do you notice a certain smell or odor when first entering your home, especially when not running the A/C? Does this smell dissipate soon after you've been in the home? (It doesn't always have a smell, especially in partially tainted homes). Have you had A/C problems? Have you replaced your evaporator coils? Have you noticed your faucets corroding or do they have black spots that are hard to remove? Have you noticed blackened copper on refrigeration lines, wiring, plumbing or gas lines?
Officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states -- Florida, Louisiana and Alabama -- while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control recently announced they found no link between the deaths of eleven people and homes with Chinese drywall. Click here for a link to that report and others filed with the Consumer Produce Safety Commission. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging the CDC to do comprehensive study into the long term health effects from prolonged exposure to sulfur. But there's one lesson our scientist said we should take away from this experiment. "It keeps going on. It keeps accumulating so unless you take it out you're still going to have that reaction happening in your house," said Hejzlar.
That's why the Consumer Product Safety commission is recommending anyone who finds out they have this product in their home--remove it.
Lab comparisons of Chinese- and American-made drywall show significantly higher levels of pyrite in the Chinese material. This suggests that pyrite oxidation may be the source of the sulfur compounds released by Chinese drywall. The problems have been attributed to the use of fly ash in the drywall, which degrades in the presence of heat and moisture; although United States' drywall uses fly ash as well, the process used creates a cleaner final product. According to a 2010 laboratory study, one hundred percent of affected drywall samples obtained from homes located in the southeastern United States tested positive for the presence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, an iron and sulfur reducing bacterium. Samples of non-contaminated drywall were found to contain only miscible levels of T. ferroxidans.
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