Watch out for Chinese Drywall

Admin
Published Date: 2009-09-30

Environmental issues (mold, formaldehyde, asbestos, radon gas, etc) have always been a concern to homeowners and professionals in the corporate housing and relocation industries. Today, a new environmental and health issue is emerging, Chinese Drywall. It's an issue that some experts are predicting will have a profound affect on the housing industry. Some three hundred million board feet of drywall has been imported from China and has been used in homes built from 2004-2007, particularlly homes rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina. The drywall is known to emit a sulfer dioxide gas that smells like rotten eggs. Not all homes emit the smell, but the gas can be detected by coroding faucets and appliances, soot-like blackening of copper wires, smoke and carbon minoxied alarms, cable boxes and light switches begin to fail, etc. People living in homes with Chinese drywall can suffer from health problems and the issue should be re-mediated immediately - which can costs a homeowner hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace drywall, fixtures, pipes and wires.