Posts Tagged ‘Chinese Drywall’
Nelson: Chinese drywall tests confirm differences
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
Chinese drywall hits health, wallets, homeowners say
PARKLAND, Florida (CNN) — Sherri and Ira Rojhani stopped paying the mortgage on their 2-year-old South Florida home in April, victims not of a troubled economy, but, they say, of drywall from China that they believe is making them sick.
They join a growing list of homeowners in 13 states who face foreclosure or the prospect of paying both their mortgage and rent on alternate housing as they seek relief from what they describe as corrosive gasses emitted from the Chinese drywall. The drywall is now the subject of several scientific studies.
“Families are being forced to make health decisions based on financial consideration, and that is fundamentally flawed,” said Sherri Rojhani, a homeowner in Parkland, Florida. “We shouldn’t be in a position to stay in a home, based on our health,” she said.
Homeowners allege the gas is causing home appliances and copper wiring to fail and causes chronic, long-term upper respiratory infections.
Federal authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are studying the possible health effects of the drywall. Most of their results are still some time off.
On Tuesday the EPA announced that it found sulfur, a corrosive material, in the Chinese drywall samples it tested and that sulfur was not found in the U.S. manufactured drywall samples it also tested. The EPA also found strontium in the Chinese drywall at levels about 10 times higher than in the U.S. drywall. Strontium is a metal often used in manufacturing the glass for television screens.
The EPA also detected two elements typically found in acrylic paints in the Chinese drywall but not in the U.S. drywall.
The EPA said these results are not intended to establish a definitive link between the drywall and the conditions being found by homeowners in their homes.
Chinese drywall concerns head to Capitol Hill
The first congressional hearings on Chinese drywall will be held on Capitol Hill next week.
The Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance plans to meet at 10:30 a.m. on May 21.
The committee will investigate health and product safety issues associated with the drywall.
High-sulfur Chinese drywall has been blamed for fumes that cause an odor of rotten eggs, metal corrosion and alleged health problems in thousands of homes, mostly in the Southeast, and especially in Florida.
The growing product liability crisis has spawned federal and state lawsuits, including individual actions and class actions. The Florida Department of Health is tracking 365 reported complaints and investigating. The 
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is also investigating.
Below is a news release from the Virginia Department of Health
Does Chinese drywall pose health risks?
Preliminary data indicates that some Chinese drywall emits gases that contain sulfur and other chemicals. The gases that are emitted can smell like “rotten eggs” and may irritate the respiratory system. However, current health data do not suggest any immediate or chronic health problems associated with Chinese drywall.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) continues to collect and assess data as it is made available. Some of the gases emitted from Chinese drywall can corrode metals, in particular, copper.
Corroded metals such as brass fittings, copper coils, and electrical wires may pose an immediate health risk. Leaking gas pipes and air conditioning units may expose you to Freon and natural gas.
Corroded electrical wires may affect the normal functioning of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Freon is a proprietary name for chlorofluorocarbons that are commonly used in refrigeration and air-conditioning units.
Freon 22 as well as newer refrigerants are commonly used. Chlorofluorocarbons used for refrigeration/air-conditioning would not be expected to pose a health risk to homeowners should a leak develop.
At extremely high chlorofluorocarbon concentrations individuals have experienced heart beat abnormalities, loss of coordination, narcosis, and dizziness.
If a natural gas leak is suspected you should contact your local gas company.
How do I know if I have Chinese drywall?
The presence of Chinese drywall does not necessarily mean that there will be effects to you or your home. Most drywall from China will be labeled on the back of the drywall with made in China, however, it is possible that drywall from China may not have any markings. It is also possible that a home could contain both drywall made in the U.S. and drywall made in China.
Homes considered to potentially be affected by Chinese drywall would have been built after 2003 and meet two of the following:
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1) The presence of sulfur-like or other unusual odors
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2) Drywall labeled made in China
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3) Observed copper corrosion, indicated by black, sooty coating of un-insulated copperpipe leading to the air-conditioned
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4) Documented failure of air conditioner evaporator coil (located inside the airconditioning
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unit)
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5) Confirmation by an outside expert or professional of the presence of premature copper
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corrosion on un-insulated copper wires and/or air conditioner evaporator coils (inside the
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air conditioning unit)
Who can I contact to inspect my home?
If you think that your home has been affected by Chinese drywall you should contact a licensed professional. Plumbers, electricians, building contractors, home inspectors, environmental contractors, heating and air conditioning contractors, and other licensed professionals may be able to assist with evaluating damage to your home.
How can I treat my home if it is affected by Chinese Drywall?
VDH is not aware of any remedy other than complete removal and replacement of the drywall. Painting the drywall, or the use of ozone generators have not been proven effective.
If I have a problem, who should I contact for help?
You should first start by contacting the builder and the Consumers Product Safety Commission or calling their toll-free consumer hotline: 800-638-2772 (TTY 800-638-8270).
VDH continues to monitor the evolving Chinese drywall issue and any potential impacts on public health. We encourage you to check back often for updates and any new developments.
If you need further information regarding the health effects of Chinese drywall, please contact the Virginia Department of Health, Division of Environmental Epidemiology, 109 Governor Street, 4th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219, or call (804)-864-8182.
Broward County mayor: Legislators torpedoed Chinese drywall aid
BY ALLISON ROSS
Palm Beach Post
Efforts to expand health testing and limit builder liability related to Chinese drywall got torpedoed this legislative session, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter told a group of homeowners, building contractors, real estate agents and bankers Monday.
One proposal had called for $400,000 in funding to go to the state department of health for Chinese drywall-related testing, Ritter told the group. And an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, that proposed absolving certain homeowners, suppliers, contractors and installers of liability was withdrawn after being attached to at least three bills.
Ritter made her remarks at a lawyer-sponsored ”Toxic Drywall Roundtable” at the Heron Bay Marriott in Coral Springs.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist last week outlining plans to investigate Chinese drywall, and assuring the governor that the EPA is taking the issue seriously.
”I share your concerns and can assure you that EPA is working with our federal and state partners to address the challenges posed by imported Chinese drywall,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson wrote.
The letter came in response to one sent last month by Crist asking for federal assistance.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1033040.html
Get out of house with Chinese drywall, doctor tells family
PARKLAND, Florida (CNN) — Yorelle Haroush fled a million-dollar South Florida home this week, chased out, she said, by drywall made in China that’s emitting vapors that smell like rotten eggs.
“It’s making me sick. Physically, mentally and emotionally, making me sick,” said the 18-year-old, who is pregnant with her first child.
Haroush lives with her aunt Amy Massachi and her four siblings and cousins in the house. They believe a year’s worth of upper respiratory infections, antibiotics, bloody noses and sickness have been caused by the walls.
Their doctor said they need to get out of the $1.2 million estate in Parkland, Florida, northwest of Fort Lauderdale.
“I said, ‘you can’t stay there anymore, because you’re sick every minute,’” the family’s longtime physician, Dr. Ross Nochimson, told CNN. “They’re sick on a weekly basis. Earaches, sore throat. I give them something, and they’re sick again.”
Massachi and her family are among homeowners in more than a dozen states who allege Chinese drywall has emitted corrosive gases they believe have given them health problems.
Homeowners also allege the gases corrode metal components including copper wiring, causing air conditioners and other household systems to fail. Read about homeowners’ allegations »
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says most of the complaints have come from Florida, where the concerns emerged last year. But consumers also have filed complaints in Louisiana, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, Alabama, Mississippi, California, Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.
The Florida Department of Health says complaints it received — more than 330 as of Tuesday — generally involve homes built between 2004 and 2007.
A study done for the Florida health department by private laboratory Unified Engineering Inc. found that samples of certain Chinese drywall gave off a sulfurous odor from “volatile sulfur compounds” when exposed to extreme heat and moisture. It also found that vapors “in the residential atmosphere created a corrosive environment in the presence of moisture.”
The health effects of those vapors are still the subject of several scientific studies.
Odors and corrosion are clearly evident in the Massachi house.
The pungent, rotten-egg-like smell permeates the two-story home. Throughout the house, electrical outlets are open to reveal black corrosion on the copper wiring. The air conditioning unit’s air handler, inside the house, is blackened.
“This is disgusting. It’s so corroded. I can’t even believe it,” Amy Massachi said in a raspy voice. “I can’t breathe. Every morning, I wake up with sinus allergies, my voice is hoarse.
My mother, when I call her up on the phone, she says, ‘Amy, what’s wrong with your voice?’ and I say, ‘allergies.’
“‘What are you allergic to?’ I don’t know. Well, now I know. I’m allergic to my house. My house is making us sick.”
The doctor recommends they vacate their 18-month-old home.
“Before they bought this house, they weren’t calling every week with allergies and sore throats and ear aches and coughing,” Nochimson said. “I don’t know what more I can do for them.”
Haroush, who after giving birth faces heart surgery for an unrelated condition, is moving in with her grandmother.
“I’m graduating this year, and I’m having a baby, and I don’t need to be thinking about anything else going wrong, and any more stress that is on me,” she told CNN.
Chinese drywall was imported into the U.S. during a different economic era, at the height of a housing boom. Prices were sky high, and the country was hit by two active hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005, increasing the demand for home repairs.
Suppliers were forced to look elsewhere for their drywall supply. Drywall, made from gypsum, is regularly imported from Mexico and Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, but during this time frame, the U.S. looked to China to make up for the shortage.
The Gypsum Association told CNN that enough drywall was imported from China to build 30,000 complete homes.
Most of the Chinese drywall, they say, ended up in southwest Florida during the housing boom, where it was used in new housing developments.
Some was also used in remodeling projects all over the country, so the number of homes affected is difficult to calculate.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission hopes to have more answers in the coming months. They continue to test the Chinese drywall, including controlled tests in chambers and real-world air sampling tests in homes, to determine how the drywall interacts with other elements in an average house.
“We don’t deny there’s a problem,” spokesman Joe Martyak said. But there has been no positive link to adverse health effects.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/06/florida.chinese.drywall.family/index.html
Federal Chinese Drywall Probe Revving Up
Problems with defective Chinese drywall have prompted the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to ask for emergency funds from Congress. According to palmbeachpost.com, the funds will be used for expenses related to the CPSC’s Chinese drywall probe.
Chinese drywall has been causing problems in newer homes across the country. The material reportedly emits sulfur fumes that fill homes with a “rotten eggs” odor. The fumes from the drywall have also been linked to corroding metals in many of the homes, and people living with the material have reported sinus and respiratory problems. Many residents have had to leave their homes because the Chinese drywall has made them unlivable, and some builders are scrambling to gut homes and replace the drywall.
Building Industry Experts Join Forces to Find Solutions to Toxic Chinese Drywall Problem
One of the leading forensic experts on building envelope water intrusion and toxic mold, Spiderman Mulholland, is joining forces with a network of professionals to combat the Toxic Chinese Drywall issues facing the United States today.
Collaborating with top toxicologists, chemists, material and building scientists, forensic investigators, remediation and construction specialists and individuals with laboratory and inspection expertise is essential to the research efforts.
The group intends to plan and implement a cost-effective program aimed at battling the crisis that has impacted 41 states.
Mulholland, a leading expert witness in Toxic Chinese Drywall cases, is currently developing protocols for inspections and remediation.
“Our main focus is being driven by the needs of homeowners and the serious life-safety issues we believe could be critical to their well-being,” Mulholland said.
Chinese drywall was installed in more than 100,000 homes between 2004 and 2006. Among the highly toxic compounds being found are hydrogen sulfide, sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide and carbon disulfide. Prolonged exposure can cause serious problems to the nervous system.
The manufacturer has acknowledged that the drywall is defective, but emphasizes that not all China drywall from that period is tainted. Recent findings show that some U.S. stamped drywall may also be toxic.
Given the rise in health complaints, residents are advised to be aware of symptoms including nose bleeds, headaches, coughs, upper respiratory or sinus issues, eye irritation, fatigue, difficulty breathing, body aches and rashes.
Physical evidence includes HVAC-unit failure or electrical appliances, copper coils turning black, corroded electrical wiring, tarnished silver jewelry or utensils and light bulbs burning out at a faster rate.
Although the smell of rotten eggs in a home could indicate a toxic drywall problem, Mulholland’s investigations show that is not always the case.
Some groups are relying on air sampling methods to determine drywall problems; however that method is unreliable, Mulholland says.
Mulholland’s company, US Building Consultants Inc. has an accredited testing facility that can determine toxic-drywall problems. He inspects and consults in drywall cases.
Sen. Aronberg calls for drywall task force
South Florida Business Journal – by Paul Brinkmann
Florida Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, is recommending a statewide plan he believes will protect homeowners from problems with Chinese drywall, as well as create a uniform standard to restore and repair affected homes.
Aronberg, who announced the plan on Friday with the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, said he would send a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist, asking him to appoint a special task force.
The task force, he said, should include health experts, representatives of the homebuilding industry, consumer advocates, scientists and representatives of drywall manufacturers. The focus would be on making recommendations for removing and replacing drywall, and for what new laws or regulations might be needed, Aronberg said.
“Expensive and lengthy litigation is not the answer,” he said. “We need consumer protection laws.”
If the state government doesn’t act, Aronberg said it is possible that local government will enact ordinances that could be conflicting or confusing,
“There’s a lot of concern — and it’s justified — but we need to make sure we’re not going to have a wave of hysteria,” he said.
The defective, high-sulfur drywall gives off fumes, resulting in a “rotten egg” odor and metal corrosion, especially in air conditioners. The Florida Department of Health has received 265 complaints about Chinese drywall since January. It has set up a Web site for consumers with pictures to determine if their home has Chinese drywall.
Most of the complaints have come from South or Southwest Florida, including 26 from Palm Beach County, 24 from Broward, and 20 from Miami-Dade.
In mid-February, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was investigating the problem. In March, the University of Florida’s Rinker School of Building Construction said it was starting a preliminary study of its own.
Several builders have acknowledged that the problem drywall was installed in their homes. Miami-based Lennar Corp. has a program to remove the drywall.
Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, a division of the Knauf Group in Germany, has acknowledged some of its drywall imported to the U.S. in 2006 is associated with complaints of odors and metal corrosion, but the company has said the problem was tied to gypsum from one natural gypsum mine in Tianjin, China, which is no longer used.