Chinese Drywall | Chinese Drywall Problem | Chinese Drywall Crisis

What Is Chinese Drywall Problem?

The nightmare known as Chinese Drywall began as early as 2001 and peaked when the domestic supply could not keep up with the demand caused by the housing boom and Hurricane Katrina. Chinese drywall is also being called Defective Drywall and reactive drywall.

Chinese sheet rock is likely to be the largest product liability issue the construction industry has ever seen. Defective drywall has been conclusively linked, by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, to drastically accelerated corrosion.

It is estimated that in 2006 alone more than 550 million pounds of drywall were imported from China. Seventeen to twenty different markings or stamps identifying Chinese drywall have been found.

The number of homes affected varies widely according to the information source. Estimates given range from 100,000 to 500,000 homes. The greatest amount of defective drywall was installed in Florida and Louisiana with upwards of 75% of the reactive drywall used in Florida alone. There is a possibility of all 50 states having toxic drywall exposure. Problematic drywall has been reported in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming as of this writing. More states are likely to join this list in the future.

Homes built or remodeled between 2005 and 2008 are considered most at risk.

The estimated numbers of homes vary because homes containing Chinese Drywall commonly are found to have a mixture of Chinese AND domestic drywall. There can be as little as one sheet of toxic drywall used in repairs, the amount used in a remodeling project, all the drywall in the home and any percentage in between.

This creates problems in estimating the scope of the problem and equally important creates complications in accurate testing when hundreds of boards are used in a typical home. Adding to this challenge, not all drywall from China is toxic while some domestic and Canadian labeled drywall has been found to be reactive. Moreover, there are reports of drywall from Canada and Mexico that has been discovered to be relabeled Chinese Drywall.

Another major Defective drywall issue facing homeowners is the few parties affected property owners can take recourse against. A number of court cases are in various stages of progress; these court cases are showing strong promise of resolution and we strongly urge those who suspect or have defective drywall to commission a third party inspection to establish fact of contamination and then contact an attorney specializing in this litigation. We suggest visiting chinesedrywall.com for this.

What is Chinese Drywall?

Chinese Drywall in the strictest sense refers to drywall imported from China when exposed to high levels of humidity and temperature off-gases a variety of toxic and corrosive sulfuric compounds, most notably hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide and a host of other toxic volatile organic compounds.

Gypsum is one of the most plentiful minerals in the earth and is easily mined. The source of gypsum in the manufacture of drywall can be by-product from the scrubbing process of coal fired electrical generation plants or from mining operations. Most gypsum is obtained through mining. Testing done by United Engineering on samples of Chinese drywall found 5-15% organic material indicating the gypsum in Chinese Drywall appears to come predominately from mining.

The vast majority of gypsum was formed from the evaporation of ancient seawater as the seas retreated to their present day levels. As the seawater evaporated, other minerals such as quartz, mica, strontium sulfide, pyrite, mica, dolomite, calcite and organic particles remained with the gypsum and are present in all drywall. The difference between domestic and Chinese Drywall lies in the higher concentrations of these minerals, notably strontium sulfide, along with higher concentrations of organics and elemental sulfur. It is important to note that the drywall is not problematic due to differences in materials and material levels; the most important factor is the unknown mechanism which causes drywall made from this combination to be "reactive."

It is well known that Chinese Drywall or "Reactive" Drywall emits sulfide gases which react with airborne humidity to create a corrosive environment that attacks common metals, such as copper, used in construction. This is primarily due to Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is responsible for the characteristic rotten egg odor. As temperatures and humidity levels go up, the more favorable conditions become for Defective drywall to off-gas. A common result is air conditioning coils failing as Hydrogen Sulfide reacts with water on the coils to produce sulfuric acid. It should be mentioned not all defective drywall exhibits the rotten egg odor.

Compared to domestic drywall, elevated levels of strontium have been found to act as a marker in homes exhibiting the corrosive effects of "Reactive" Drywall.

Fortunately, our Chinese Drywall Inspection features the use of advanced noninvasive XRF testing technology to identify the elevated strontium levels found in defective drywall.

Make an Appointment now for a Chinese Drywall Inspection, Chinese Drywall Testing, Chinese Drywall Problem, Chinese Drywall Solution and Chinese Drywall Remediation or call us at 888-887-5387.
For further information and queries email info@chinesedrywalladvisors.com