Amidst a wave of Chinese import scares, ranging from toxic toys to tainted pet food, reports of contaminated drywall from that country have been popping up across the American Southeast. Chinese companies use unrefined “fly ash,” a coal residue found in smokestacks in coal-fired power plants in their manufacturing process. Fly ash contains strontium sulfide, a toxic substance commonly found in fireworks. In hot and wet environments, this substance can offgas into hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide and contaminate a home’s air supply.
Due to this problem’s recent nature, there are currently no government or industry standards for inspecting contaminated drywall in homes. Professionals who have handled contaminated drywall in the past may know how to inspect for sulfur compounds but there are no agencies that offer certification in this form of inspection.
The bulk of these incidents have been reported in Florida and other southern states, likely due to the high levels of heat and humidity in that region. Most of the affected homes were built during the housing boom between 2004 and 2007, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when domestic building materials were in short supply. An estimated 250,000 tons of drywall were imported from China during that time period because it was cheap and plentiful. This material was used in the construction of approximately 100,000 homes in the United States, and many believe this has lead to serious health and property damage.
Homeowners’ lawsuits contend the drywall has caused them to suffer health problems such as headaches and sore throats and face huge repair expenses. The drywall is alleged to have high levels of sulfur and, according to homeowners’ complaints, the sulfur-based gases smell of rotten eggs and corrode piping and wiring, causing electronics and appliances to fail. “It’s economically devastating, and it’s emotionally devastating,” said Florida attorney Ervin A. Gonzalez, who filed one of the lawsuits. It would cost a third of an affected home’s value to fix the dwelling, Gonzalez said. “The interior has to be gutted, the homeowners have to continue paying mortgages, and they have to pay for a [temporary] place to live,” Gonzalez said.
The exemptions reveal that Chinese drywall was only used in Southwest Florida between 2004 and 2007; the four year span of recovery from Hurricane Charley and Wilma and the building boom. If you break it down by percentage, in Lee County only .44% of the single family homes and condos are infected and only 2.5% from the boom building years. In Charlotte County the percentage of homes infected is .27% and in Collier County it is .06%. The toxic material causing all the problems is only found in the 1/4 inch drywall used in residential construction. The 1/2 inch drywall used in commercial buildings is safe.
The building industry is being hit by a ton of lawsuits–especially in Florida, where seven of the affected ports were located. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the makers, exporters and suppliers of Chinese drywall products that have been found to emit noxious odors, damage air conditioners, as well as other systems, and potentially lead to health problems. Health officials say that a definitive connection between the Chinese drywall and health problems has not been made, though over 50 complaints have been made to the Florida health department thus far.
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