Was your home built from 2004-2008? Better hope your drywall doesnt say "Made in China"

[FelixDeCat]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...wall-apf-14904432.html

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) -- At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap.

Now that decision is haunting hundreds of homeowners and apartment dwellers who are concerned that the wallboard gives off fumes that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry and silverware, and possibly sicken people.

Shipping records reviewed by The Associated Press indicate that imports of potentially tainted Chinese building materials exceeded 500 million pounds during a four-year period of soaring home prices. The drywall may have been used in more than 100,000 homes, according to some estimates, including houses rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

"This is a traumatic problem of extraordinary proportions," said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat who introduced a bill in the House calling for a temporary ban on the Chinese-made imports until more is known about their chemical makeup. Similar legislation has been proposed in the Senate.

The drywall apparently causes a chemical reaction that gives off a rotten-egg stench, which grows worse with heat and humidity.

Researchers do not know yet what causes the reaction, but possible culprits include fumigants sprayed on the drywall and material inside it. The Chinese drywall is also made with a coal byproduct called fly ash that is less refined than the form used by U.S. drywall makers.

In 2006, enough wallboard was imported from China to build some 34,000 homes of roughly 2,000 square feet each, according to AP's analysis of the shipping records and estimates supplied by the nationwide drywall supplier United States Gypsum.

So far, the problem appears to be concentrated in the Southeast, which blossomed with new construction during the housing boom and where the damp climate appears to cause the gypsum in the building material to degrade more quickly. In Florida alone, more than 35,000 homes may contain the product, experts said.

In Louisiana, the state health department has received complaints from at least 350 people in just a few weeks. Many of the affected homeowners rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina only to face the prospect of tearing down their houses and rebuilding again.

Outside the South, it's harder to pinpoint the number of affected homes. And in drier climates such as California and Nevada, it may be years before homeowners begin to see -- and smell -- what may be lurking inside their walls.

A Florida Department of Health analysis found the Chinese drywall emits "volatile sulfur compounds," and contains traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce the rotten-egg odor and reacts with air to corrode metals and wires.

"If a shiny copper coil can turn absolutely black within a matter of months, it certainly can't be good for human beings," Krulik said.

I wouldnt buy any home made after 2004. :light:

 

[BoomerD]

Repost

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...yword1=chinese+drywall

But always worth reading.

 

[0roo0roo]

http://consumerist.com/tag/chinese-poison-train/

 

[rocadelpunk]

that...would suck.

 

[0roo0roo]

question is how would people test for it😛

 

[Red Squirrel]

WTF even drywall is made in china now? You have got to be kidding me. Seriously, they have to start doing something about all this stuff coming from there. Can't trust half of it.

 

[FelixDeCat]

You know I just thought of something, this is going to be another one of those "black mold" situations for homeowners insurance companies. That incident alone caused policies to skyrocket at least 50% back several years ago. You had to drop coverage for mold to avoid the higher premium.

 

[iGas]

The problem showed up since 2005.

Importing Chinese goods is way cheaper than home made products, because of labor costs and the main reason is the cost of pollution control.

It comedown to having polluted garbage on US soil or Chinese soil.

You can't eat your cake and have it too.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
WTF even drywall is made in china now? You have got to be kidding me. Seriously, they have to start doing something about all this stuff coming from there. Can't trust half of it.

Not all of it. My brother in law works at a plant that makes drywall up in Pa. I'm sure there are others, too.