Chinese Drywall

South Florida Business Journal – by Paul Brinkmann

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests of high-sulfur Chinese drywall have confirmed differences between the imported material and U.S.-made drywall, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Tuesday.

The new EPA tests showed the Chinese-made drywall contained sulfur that was not in U.S. drywall, strontium (a metallic element) at levels 10 times as high as in U.S. drywall and two other organic compounds generally found in acrylic paint that were not detected in any U.S.-made wallboard, according to a news release.

“We now know there are three things in there that aren’t in other drywall samples,” Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said in the release. “We’ve got the what, and now we need the why and how do we fix it? In the end, I think all this stuff is going to have to be ripped out.”

Nelson’s office said the EPA has determined more tests are needed, including air sampling in affected houses, to determine whether the drywall is the cause of corroded wiring and appliances and the alleged health problems. Nelson said he and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, will file an amendment to pending legislation to provide emergency funds for further investigation and continued testing.
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/05/18/daily29.html

1. admin says:

   June 6, 2009 at 9:48 am

   Thanks Jane, as part of the results of your test, they should have came back with how many parts per million (PPM) of Hydrogen Sulfide was detected. Its definitely without a doubt toxic. Use the below chart to help you determine your level of Hydrogen Sulfide.

   Symptoms at Various Concentrations
   
   0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic odor of
   hydrogen sulfide,normally described as resembling “a rotten egg”. (Well below Gas Badge detection level.)

    10-20 ppm is the borderline concentration for eye irritation. (Above the Gas Badge detection level.)

    50-100 ppm leads to eye damage.

    At 150-250 ppm the olfactory nerve is paralyzed after a few inhalations, and the sense of smell disappears, often together
   with awareness of danger

    320-530 ppm leads to pulmonary edema with the possibility of death.

    530-1000 ppm causes strong stimulation of the central nervous system and rapid breathing, leading to loss of breathing;

    800 ppm is the lethal concentration for 50% of humans for 5 minutes exposure (LC50).

    1000 ppm > cause immediate collapse with loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.

   Note the huge difference between smell (.0047 ppm) and irritation (10-20 ppm) etc
   .
2. jane says:

   June 6, 2009 at 1:46 am

   Thanks for your website.
   Very informative. I noticed that you write that Hydrogen Sulfide is one of the toxins released from “toxic dry wall”.
   My dry wall has been tested at an independent lab and the results were positive for:
   hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, and methyl mercaptan
   Can you please tell me, in your opinion, would this mean that this dry wall is “toxic dry wall” ?
   Thank you,
   jane