Corrosive Drywall Update!
The topic of problems associated with Chinese Drywall continues to grow in magnitude, not just in Florida, but in many areas of the country. The number of homes affected continues to expand as more people become aware of the issue and more reliable testing methods are developed.
Some of developments we are following are:
- Development of a remediation/removal protocol – various groups are currently working on this issue
- Number of different variations of problem drywall out there – a recent article stated there are 36 varieties and growing
- Developments from the Multi-District Litigation class action suit (MDL-2047) headed by U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon – This case is set to begin in late January 2010
- Position and developments from the CPSC on Chinese Drywall
State of Florida Case Definition
One interesting recent change was the clarification and change to the Case Definition published by the State of Florida on 18 Dec 09. The purpose of the case definition is to help identify home that are affected by corrosion associated with drywall emissions. The new definition enables the user to rank homes as a possible, probable or confirmed case.
Criteria 1: To be considered a Possible Case, a home must meet all three sentinel indicators:
- Constructed or renovated with new drywall since 2001
- Observed corrosion of HVAC evaporator coils exemplified by black corrosion on copper components.
- Observed metal corrosion on one or more of the following: copper wires, un-insulated and un-coated copper pipes and fittings, chrome-plated bathroom fixtures, silver and copper jewelry, mirror backing in bathrooms
Criteria 2: If the home meets the above criteria, it may be considered a Probable Case if if meets one or more of the following supporting indicators:
- Observed markings on the back of the drywall indicating the country of origin in China
- Objective analysis of drywall in home finds Strontium levels exceed 2,000 mg/kg (ppm), indicating the gypsum used in the drywall was probably mined in China.
Criteria 3: The home would be classified as a Confirmed Case if it has one or more of the following confirmatory evidence:
- Elemental sulfur (Orthorhombic sulfur, cyclooctasulfur, S8) content of gypsum core exceeding 10 mg/kg (ppm), indicating the gypsum in drywall samples from the home contains the source material that is believed to contribute to the reduced sulfur gasses emitted from corrosive drywall.
- Laboratory analysis of suspect drywall headspace for reduced sulfur gas emissions (H2S, COS, CS2) indicating drywall samples from the home emit reduced sulfur gasses capable of causing copper corrosion. Analytical methods commonly used for this include GC/SCD.
- Qualitative analysis of suspect drywall for its ability to cause corrosion/blackening of copper under controlled conditions, indicating drywall samples from the home emit gasses capable of corroding copper.
Other Info
Early opinions on this problem indicated that the presence of the “rotten egg” or “burnt match” odor was a key indicator for the presence of the tainted drywall. This has since been clarified. There are a significant number of homes that have been verified as having bad drywall, yet no noticeable odor is present.
Black corrosion on electrical wiring is another key indicator used in determining the presence of corrosive drywall. This can be a bit tricky, as there are a number of conditions which if present in a home could cause some blackening of copper wiring. A home located near a swampy are with underground utilities could experience this issue. Some other conditions which may affect copper are:
- High sulfur content well or irrigation water
- Charging of batteries such as in golf carts in garages
- Off gassing of certain building materials
Important Links
It seems that every day new websites are popping up concerning this issue, many of them strictly profit driven with questionable sources of information.
We post links to new information about the developments we follow on our blog at www.chinesedrywallinfo.com
Some good links for information on this issue:
Florida Department of Health Drywall information page: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html
Florida Case Definition (12-18-09) for Drywall Associated Corrosion in Residences
Florida Attorney General letter about Chinese Drywall Scams http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/948E4030762178D3852575A1005823E7
U.S. CPSC Drywall Information Center http://bit.ly/8zIrs
Photographic Examples of Chinese Drywall Markings – Listed on Judge Fallon’s Chinese-Manufactured Drywall products liability Litigation Site. MDL-2047
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