CDC Report Confirms Link Between Chinese Drywall/Nosebleeds, Asthma Attacks, Headaches

[hatrack]

Chinese-made drywall used in more than 20,000 homes in the United States could have caused nosebleeds, headaches, difficulty breathing and asthma attacks in tens of thousands of Americans exposed to it, the federal government said in a long-awaited report released Friday.

The drywall was installed in mostly Southern homes since 2005, and it has been the subject of multiple lawsuits. In addition to health-related complaints, homeowners have also alleged sulfur dioxide and other chemicals found in the drywall caused foul odors and corroded pipes and wiring. There have been five settlements totaling more than $1 billion, but it's not clear how much of the drywall was replaced.

"The bottom line is that this modeling data suggests that levels of sulfur dioxide and other sulfur compounds found in the Chinese manufactured drywall were sufficiently high to result in the health effects people have been reporting," said Vikas Kapil, chief medical officer with the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health research began in 2011 but was not finished until now because of the work necessary to create scientifically valid models that allowed researchers to estimate what the sulfur emissions from the drywall samples "might mean for people in a room in a house" containing that drywall, Kapil said.

The report's release had been promised in 2012. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson sent a letter to the CDC more than two months ago urging it be made public. "Thousands of Floridians continue to wait and wonder if they will ever see this critical taxpayer-funded research on the possible health impacts of problem drywall. This is unacceptable," he wrote.

EDIT

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/02/chinese-drywall-adverse-health-effects-wallboard/8574707/

[ladjf]

1. Note to self: Don't use any drywall manufactured in China. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. and avoid buying a house that was built/remodled since 2005.

That drywall problem was publicized a lot since 2005,actually.
One of the many reasons I bought an older house down here.

i imagine a lot of Katrina damaged houses had to use this bad drywall.

[jeff47]

3. Your dates are a little off. (And how to test for it yourself)

The bad Chinese drywall started getting imported in 2000. The quantity shot up in 2004, and then tanked in 2007 when people realized there was a problem. CPSC warning was issued in 2009, so post-2009 should be OK.

But I also wanted to emphasize that an "older" house isn't a guarantee against the problematic drywall. The house could have been remodeled and had some of the bad drywall installed. (You mentioned this, but I wanted to avoid someone thinking their 1950 house can't have this problem)

The easiest way to figure out if your house has the "bad" drywall is the effect it has on corrosion. Normally, copper will corrode to blue-green or deep red. In the presence of the bad drywall, it corrodes to black, and corrodes fairly quickly. If you have air conditioning, you can look at the evaporator coil - it will be exposed to a lot of the air in the house as the A/C runs. If the coil isn't black, then you don't have the bad drywall.

If you don't have A/C, your best bet is to look at the ground wires in your electrical system - turn off the power to an outlet, and remove the outlet from the electrical box. If the ground wire is not black, then you do not have the bad drywall.

If either the evaporator coil or the ground wire are black, you should move on to some lab tests to confirm the drywall is still bad. It could have been replaced somewhere along the line. Or it could be from a small patch that no longer is a threat.

The CPSC has a page on it here. It includes pictures to show what "bad" corrosion looks like.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Great info, thanks.

Pleased to know that my house was last remodeled in 1975, according to paperwork.

Taht crap must outgas like crazy, if it can turn pipes and conduits black.

[jeff47]

5. It still may have been installed.

Generally, you do not have to pull a permit for a remodel if you are not moving any structure, plumbing or electrical. So a remodel where they rip open a few walls and then cover them again will not show up in the paperwork. For example, replacing plaster that was damaged by a water leak.

Taht crap must outgas like crazy, if it can turn pipes and conduits black.

It's mostly what it outgasses - the reaction between hydrogen sulfide and copper is pretty impressive. Doesn't take much to cause a large change.

[BrotherIvan]

6. Dog treats that kill, dry wall that kills

What will be next?? All storebought meat is now processed in China and other undisclosed countries. Health is far less important than profits.