Some drywall imported from China has caused homeowners immense problems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control's Consumer Product Safety Commission has received almost 4,000 reports from residents in 42 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and Puerto Rico complaining that their health problems or problems in their homes are related to drywall manufactured in China. Several federal agencies have been conducting research on the matter.
Chinese Drywall Description
The drywall in question was imported from China between 2001 and 2007. It is 1/2 inch in width and has a grayish paper covering. Some of the drywall imported from China was manufactured by the German-based company Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin company, which has subsidiaries in China. Chinese drywall is made from natural gypsum, an extremely soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate.
Reaction with Metal
Homeowners have complained that in homes with Chinese drywall, metal components, such as pipes, condensers, wiring, appliances, electronics, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, have become blackened, pitted and corroded.
Odor
The earliest complaints about Chinese-made drywall were about odors. Homes with the drywall, said residents, smelled like rotten eggs or ammonia. The problem seems to be that the Chinese drywall emits sulfur gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, which give off the odor of rotten eggs or ammonia. Other gases emitted by the drywall include carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide.
Remediation
There is no easy fix if your home was built with Chinese drywall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommend replacement of all problem drywall; fire safety alarm devices, including smoke and carbon monoxide alarms; electrical distribution components, including receptacles, switches and circuit breakers; and gas service piping and fire suppression sprinkler systems. Not only is remediation extremely expensive, but simply the presence of Chinese-made drywall in a home can reduce its value by about one-third.
Responsibility
Knauf said the odor problem was caused by the components of natural gypsum at a particular site where it was being mined in China. They stopped using that mine in late 2006, when Chinese drywall was finally determined to be the source of the odor. In the meantime, lawsuits abound. Homeowners are suing manufacturers, home builders, contractors, insurance companies and businesses. Who -- if anyone -- will pay for remediation or compensate homeowners for the lost value of their homes is still very much up in the air. It is important to note that Knauf was only one manufacturer of the problem drywall that came from China and that not all drywall imported from China is problematic.
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