You may have heard about it on the news. Another Chinese product being imported to the U.S. with dangerous levels of chemicals. This time it affects our industry.
Toxic Chinese drywall is creating disastrous conditions for home builders and buyers in the Southeast. Some developments in Florida have seen sales drop off a cliff after begin tagged as "Chinese drywall hot spots". While it's a relatively new topic, more of the country needs to be aware of it.
Some Chinese drywall imported since 2001 has high levels of sulfuric compounds. These compounds release sulfur gases when they come in contact with moisture or moist air. This is obviously a big issue for homes in the Southeast with humid, hot weather.
The sulfur gives off the smell of rotten eggs, which is annoying if not nauseating to the buyers. Even worse, it corrodes air conditiong coils and electrical wiring. Homeowners with fairly new homes have had breakdowns in the mechanical systems of their homes far more quickly than should be expected. More recently, inspectors have seen even galvanized nails and building materials quickly showing early signs of corrosion that will lead to further damage down the road.
While most of the damage thusfar has been restricted to the Southeast, according to the Homeowners Consumer Center, "we always expected to find very heavy concentrations of the Chinese drywall in California, Arizona, Las Vegas, the Pacific Northwest and the Mountain West, because most of the product was shipped through the ports of Long Beach, Oakland, and/or Seattle/Tacoma."
Just because it isn't humid in your city, doesn't mean that there won't be long-term problems with this drywall in your local community. There are specialty inspectors now that look for the signs of Chinese drywall. By going in attics or unfinished spaces, they can sometimes find markings on the back of the drywall signifying its origin. If that's not possible, they can take samples and test.
Don't be alarmed, just be aware. This is an issue that's not going to go away quickly.
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