Page 23 - Summer2011

Homeowners claiming that they had contaminated drywall have reported seeing corroded copper and other metals in the home, accompanied by a smell of rotten eggs. Most of the complaints about faulty drywall have come from states in the Southeast, where a warm and humid climate seems to encourage the emissions of the dangerous chemicals, and where an increased amount of hurricanes tend to blow through and cause home damage. The states of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama make up about 90% of the 3,000 or so cases that have been reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as of April 2010. More than 700 other complaints have been made to the Florida Department of Health. Sources indicate that approximately 60,000 to 100,000 homes could be affected against the knowledge of homeowners.

There are a few studies being conducted to investigate some of the longer-term effects of low-level exposure to sulfur gases. However, some of the short-term effects over a period of a few hours can include sore throat, eye irritation, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and nausea. Exposure over a period of a few weeks can cause chronic fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, irritability, headaches, and memory loss.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY HOME HAS CHINESE DRYWALL?

While other tainted Chinese imports like toothpaste, pet food and baby formula have been quickly removed from store shelves, drywall is an important structural component throughout a house and therefore does not lend itself to a quick fix. Here are some steps to take as well as some common signs to watch out for before tearing apart your walls, as told by the commission and other experts.

First, try contacting your home’s builder, who might have a quick answer to what kind of drywall was used in its construction. If this is not an option or if your builder isn’t helpful, look for some of the telltale signs of problematic drywall, which include the sm of sulfur (rotten egg) and corrosion (blackening) metal items like bathroom fixtures, electric socket copper wires, air-conditioner copper coils and copper pipes. (Try checking out the Product Safety

Commission’s website for images of what corrosion looks like --

ell of

http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/how.html.)

In addition to some of the physical/sensory signs of Chinese drywall, many consumers have also reported health problems such as itchiness, trouble breathing and headaches, as well as frequent failures of the heating and cooling systems,

refrigerators, dishwashers, televisions, microwaves and other appliances. It is believed that this type of drywall releases chemicals that corrode wiring.

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