Official Drywall Problems

While drywall-related corrosion is clearly evident, the CPSC said long term safety effects are still under investigation.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now saying it has found a link between drywall made in China and the home corrosion reported by thousands of U.S. property owners whose homes contain the product. While it seems like a reversal of the conclusion the CPSC came to a few weeks ago when it said it could not link the air quality and corrosion complaints with the Chinese-made building material, the agency at that time did promise further study.

Now in an indoor air study of 51 homes — 41 “complaint” and 10 non-complaint homes — researchers found that hydrogen sulfide gas is being created in homes built with Chinese drywall. Earlier studies found large amounts of elemental sulfur in the Chinese drywall and the CPSC is investigating drywall from other sources that may mimic the problems found with Chinese drywall.

The CPSC said it continues to search for homes exhibiting the corrosion and health effects, and agency officials are also working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to monitor imports of possible Chinese drywall. However, it’s believed that no new Chinese drywall has entered the United States in 2009.

While the study also found elevated formaldehyde readings in both the control and complaint homes, the agency pointed out that it’s not atypical for new, more air-tight homes to contain formaldehyde emitted from items such as cabinets and carpets. Both formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide are known irritants at sufficiently high levels. The concentrations measured in this study were below those levels. Investigators believe that the additive or synergistic effects of these and other compounds in the subject homes could cause irritant effects evident in the homes.

While drywall-related corrosion is clearly evident, the CPSC said long term safety effects are still under investigation. It’s also too early to tell what long term implications the drywall problems will have on the insurance industry as a whole, but the complaints have raised concerns for politicians, insurers and contractors.

Officials from Southeastern states, including Louisiana, which have been most affected by the defective building material are trying to get on top of the situation with federal legislation, protective regulatory initiatives and by calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate companies reportedly attempting to scam constituents whose homes have been damaged by the defective drywall. (See related story on page 14.)

It’s estimated that 500 million pounds of Chinese gypsum board was imported between 2004 and 2008 — enough to have built tens of thousands of homes. The CPSC said it’s fielded around 2,000 complaints about home contamination related to the product, but presumably there are thousands more homeowners whose lives are in limbo until the problems with Chinese drywall are sorted out.

Topics USA China