Handymen and Home Inspectors are discovering strange odors in some homes built in the past six years. The odor is often described as a rotten egg smell or that of discharged fireworks. The odor is being produced from defective Chinese drywall that has unusually high levels of hydrogen sulphide and ammonia.
Defective Chinese Drywall/Sheetrock is beginning to be Part of a National Investigation, due to reported health issues and rapid corrosive damage to any metal in the home including electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC units. There has been a flood of law suits filed or pending and many more to follow.
Chinese drywall:
During the big housing boom in late 2003, a mass quantity of drywall was shipped to the US from China. Chinese drywall has been reported to have unusually high levels of hydrogen sulphide and ammonia that can cause health issues and rapid corrosive damage to any metal in the home including electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC units.
Timeline:
Any house built or remolded between 2003 to present.
Where:
According to Americas Watchdog, "we will find the imported toxic Chinese drywall in every US State, with the heaviest concentrations in the US Southeast, the Gulf States, the US Southwest, Texas, the Mountain West, the DC Metro areas & throughout the Western Provinces of Canada. We think there are at least 300,000 new US homes that contain the imported Chinese drywall, & probably 10,000 to 15,000 homes throughout the Western Provinces of Canada."
Problems:
• Possible health issues for the Occupants of the home
• Rapid corrosion of the HVAC unit components
All copper tubing in unit has turned black as a result of being exposed to the high levels of hydrogen sulphide found in the drywall
• Rapid corrosive damage to electrical system
• Exposed ground wire corroded
• Rapid corrosive damage to copper plumbing systems
• Rotten egg or spent firecracker smell in the home
Identification:
Words on the back of the drywall; “CHINA” in red ink or “KNAUF” in black ink, Stamp on the back of the edge tape; C36, if available.
" KNAUF" ON BACK OF DRYWALLInspection Protocol:
Indicators we look for to determine if the house may have Chinese drywall:
• The house was built or remodeled between 2003 to present
• Rotten egg or sulfur-type smell in the home
• Corrosion on air conditioning coils, or HVAC units
• Corroded or black electrical wiring
• Corroded or black copper pipes
• Corroded or tarnished plumbing fixtures
If any of these symptoms are noticeable during the course of your visual inspection, if possible, look at the back of drywall possibly in the attic or garage. Look for the words; “CHINA” in red ink or “KNAUF” in black ink, also look for the Stamp on the back of the edge tape C36.
For more information go to; http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html
More on Holly’s House tomorrow
2 comments:
The Knauf material is the worst, but not the only offending material. We have tested many samples of unbranded gypsum wallboard that have the problem. The "burnt fireworks" smell is due to carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide, both of which are much higher in the defective product than in normal gypsum wallboard. A careful diagnosis of an affected building would include evaluating the building against the Florida Department of Health Case Definition; http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/casedefinition.html
email me at vdaliessio@emsl.com for more info about the history, testing, and successful remediation of this problem. You can also go to www.emsl.com for more info.
The defective Chinese drywall debacle has been making news for months now, with homeowners plagued by sulfur fumes that smell like “rotten eggs” and cause air conditioning coils to corrode. Residents complain of sinus and respiratory ailments, eye and skin irritation, persistent runny or bloody noses, headaches, and asthma. Some situations were so severe that residents had to vacate their homes. In some cases, victims have been harassed by builders into signing unfair, one-side remediation agreements. The issues surrounding defective Chinese drywall are confusing and worrisome. Here is a good blog that has been providing emerging and valuable information on the problems: www.chinese-drywall-answers.com
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