Jason

Officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states -- Florida, Louisiana and Alabama -- while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.

Homeowners' lawsuits contend the drywall has caused them to suffer health problems such as headaches and sore throats and face huge repair expenses.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/18/chi...all/index.html

manic

Here in florida lennar homes used that drywall in thousands of houses.
The reason why? it was cheap! Well there you go. Im in the business,
and it doesnt look pretty. This stuff is emitting some sort of toxin that
corrodes anything copper, and is making people sick. The fix is not cheap,
you need to rip out all of the drywall, electrical, ac, carpet, everything.
Then once that is completed, clean everything, and then spray some sort
of barrier on everything, like "killz". Might even have to pump ozone for
24 hours. Very costly.

SABL

Sounds like conspiracy if you ask me. Are the same problems occuring in China??

I can think of no compound that is needed to manufacture "dry-wall" that would emit anything toxic. I am speaking of only standard DW for residential use which would be regular DW, FCDW (used for separation of garage from living space and garage ceilings) and MR (moisture resistant) used in bathrooms and other "wet areas". Sheathing grade is often not found in residential apps and could contain chemicals that may be harmful.

Only a MSDS can provide correct details and I don't know how the material could be sold in the US without the MSDS. (Material Safety Data Sheet). Anything harmful must be listed to protect the installer/s or users.

Fren Banklin

There was a company in Mexico that sold copper water-pipe for use in American residential construction. It had sand and other impurities in it, which made the metal around the particles extermely thin, and after a few years these copper pipes developed pin-hole leaks that cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars to replace.

Can you imagine replacing every bit of copper waterpipe in a house after it has been built ? In case you don't know, most homes (at least here in the south) have the water coming up through the concrete slab and into the house.

I know someone personally that has one of these houses. His insurance won't pay because there was a settlement in a class-action lawsuit, and he can't collect from the lawsuit because it was settled before he knew about his problem and there was no money left for him.

This story sounds a bit odd, "gas" coming from inert drywall, but I wouldn't discount any possibility, particularly from the Chinese.

These are the natural results of small-government conservatism that advocate low taxes. Making certain that building materials and methods meet certain standards (to say nothing about food and other consumables) is one of those "big government" "programs" that so many nit-wits believe we can do without.

The mess with Katrina is a perfect example, and they are STILL whining and moaning about the natural consequences of their political beliefs. But HAY !, at least their Indian Gaming Casinos got ROADS, right ? Gotta stay focused on what's IMPORTANT, otherwise you lose track and then the Liberals take over and tax and spend us into bankruptcy.

SABL

I would place the most blame on the purchasing agent of the supplier or wholeseller.

Go to any home improvement store and see what you find in the way of replacement parts, especially in the plumbing department. See if you can find any OEM parts.... good luck. Most everything is imported and is absolute junk. Beware of the "blister pack" that looks nice for display but only contains a cheap knock-off of the original part.

A business must make a profit to survive, but how much profit?? Buy low and sell high is the idea and the consumer takes a beating. Not everyone has access to a proper supply store.... many only sell to tradesmen or businesses, which leaves the DIY person on the hook.

The store's purchaser is the one at fault..... if he/she knows their business, they also know they are buying trash that will be passed on to end user. Whether it be Mexican plumbing or Chinese DW.... it boils down to greed, and it must have been a very lucrative deal. Mexico is rather close but importing DW from China makes no sense.

manic

During the building boom there have been a few times there was a dw
shortage. That is where the imports come in, plentiful and cheap. Ive
never dealt with the Chinese dw, But Ive used dw coming from Norway.
Very good product, much better than anything you would buy in the U.S.

bry623

must be the lead

SABL

I remember DW shortages from years ago..... I've hung bunches of the stuff. Had to get out of the business because I can't speak Spanish!!!???

Most of my time as a board-hanger was commercial.....only hung 3 houses and 2 of them were mine. The most off brand I can remember was Briarwood, but it was still US. I was spoiled..... most board was GB or USG. Would get some bad runs and have to flip the boards to get the TE's to line up. USG was bad for hard TE's and screws would spin out or the edge would blow out meaning that fastener was worthless.

Manic will know what I am talking about...... for the rest ( as if you really care):

GB= Gold Bond - DW manufacturer
USG= United States Gypsum - ditto
TE= Tape Edge- obvious.... where the DW tape is bedded in to allow for smoother wall surfaces.

Where I used to work:

http://www.consysohio.com/Default.asp

For being a finish carpenter I hung lots of DW and stuck bunches of foam for EIFS. I built the first panels for Longaberger's 7 story basket ( yea, yea..... I also did metal framing). They had me going in circles so fast, that when I caught up with my own tail, I went on vacation..... that was 10 yrs ago. My oldest son currently works there and is beginning to feel the pressure I put up with for almost 20 yrs.

SABL

Hi Bry!!

What kind of lead??

Lead in the paint?? outlawed
Lead in the solder as in plumbing?? outlawed
Lead in my a$$?? present and accounted for