Federal Officials Advise ‘Gutting’ Chinese Drywall
April 5, 2010 – U.S. homeowners afflicted with corrosive and foul-smelling drywall manufactured in China should completely remove all of it as well as costly electrical and metal components, according to federal officials.
Officials for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently issued an official report recommending homeowners remove all traces of Chinese drywall and replace all electrical wiring and components, gas piping, fire-suppression systems and any smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors. The preventive, yet very costly, maintenance is designed to protect homes against potentially corrosive compounds found in thousands of U.S. homes – particularly homes equipped with Chinese drywall since the summer of 2004.
A recent federal study of 51 U.S. homes equipped with drywall manufactured in China indicates a “strong” link between in-home corrosion and drywall contents. Investigators from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission with the help of Chinese officials recently conducted an indoor air study of dozens of homes recently equipped with drywall manufactured in China. Researchers concluded there is merit to the thousands of complaints the federal agency has received from U.S. homeowners.
“We have shared with affected families that hydrogen sulfide is causing the corrosion. Based on the scientific work to date, removing the problem drywall is the best solution currently available to homeowners,” said Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum.
Research results indicated hydrogen sulfide gas emitted by contaminated drywall is the primary culprit in corroding copper and silver in homes equipped with Chinese drywall. Researchers also discovered elevated levels of formaldehyde in newer homes – whether or not they had Chinese drywall. Modern cabinetry and carpeting emit low levels of formaldehyde, according to researchers. Although formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide gas amounts detected were too low to pose safety risks, federal investigators suspect a combination of them and other compounds commonly found in homes potentially might be harmful to structures and public health.
A more recent federal study showed various drywall samples manufactured in China emitted the most reactive hydrogen sulfide with some producing 100 times more of the potentially corrosive substance than drywall from other nations. Although the study discovered several acceptable samples of drywall manufactured in China, samples produced in China during 2005 and 2006 generally fared the worst against non-Chinese products. Samples of drywall manufactured in China in 2009 generally tested much better than earlier batches.
But even among samples of Chinese drywall judged unacceptable, the likelihood of damage is relatively remote. About 80 percent of samples of all kinds of drywall produced no potentially dangerous bacterial growth, even among samples with elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide.
A recent report by the Associated Press indicates some 500 million pounds of Chinese gypsum board was imported to meet domestic construction demands – particularly between 2004 and 2008 when thousands of homes along the Gulf of Mexico were being rebuilt in the wake of four hurricanes slamming into Florida during a month-long stretch in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita destroying large areas of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities in 2005.
Federal officials estimate about 100,000 homes in the United States contain Chinese drywall. The total cost of replacing the faulty drywall could reach $25 billion, according to the Towers Perrin consulting firm. Some Chinese drywall manufacturers have said their products are safe and suggested bad gypsum tainted only some of the materials shipped to the United States in recent years. Many homeowners have blamed the Chinese drywall for corroding their homes’ copper pipes, causing other property damage and making family members ill.