Chinese Drywall is all over the news.
Homeowners are filing complaints, insurance companies are denying claims, lawyers are talking class action. Like a plague with devastating effects, its mere mention can wipe out home values in affected communities as homes are considered guilty by association. What is the problem?
Unlike domestically manufactured drywall, Chinese drywall has been reported to contain volatile sulfur compounds and fly ash, a coal byproduct. These elements when exposed to moisture, such as high relative humidity, produce gases which have been reported to cause structural problems in homes as well as serious health issues.
Along with a strong smell of rotten eggs, gases such as sulfur dioxide have been reported to destroy air conditioners and other appliances, cause the corroding of electrical wiring and copper, and result in serious health problems among the home dwellers.
The health problems linked to Chinese drywall include:
- Headaches
- Sinus Infections
- Coughing
- Respiratory Infections
- Difficulty Breathing
- Nose Bleeds
- Eye Irritation
How did this Happen?
The housing boom of 2001 through 2007 created an unprecedented demand on building materials. This boom, along with the reconstruction efforts after the Hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, resulted in shortages of many items including drywall which is a common method of constructing interior walls.
To fill the demand, records indicate that over 500 million pounds of Chinese drywall and plasterboard were imported into the United States between 2004 and 2008. In 2006 an estimated 11 million pounds of Chinese drywall came in through Port Canaveral, Florida alone.
What areas have been affected?
So far, problems with Chinese Drywall have mainly been reported in the southeast, where humid and moist conditions exist. Problems have also been discovered so far in Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and California.
What is Next?
This is only the only beginning of the problems we are likely to encounter as a result of toxic Chinese Drywall. A federal class action has already been certified in Louisiana and in Florida residents of many large developments have banded together to file class action lawsuits against developers, contractors and manufacturers of defective drywall.
Litigation over property damage and remediation claims may not be the only impact if scientific studies establish a link between these reported health issues and the Chinese drywall gases. Toxic-tort litigation, similar to that of Asbestos and Mesothelioma, could tie our court system up for years.