Isn't it something how well our elected officials take care of us. ----- Original Message ----- From: Betsy Whitney To: blindhandyman-yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 22:22 Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toxic drywall from China
>My friend who is a realtor, sent this to me. It is from a blog that >has such things for people in her field. If you have any experience >with this, please email me and I'll pass it along. >Original Message: >Over the past few months, owners of newer homes nationwide have been >complaining of drywall that smells like rotten eggs. In several >cases, they have had to leave their home because the smell was so >bad. In addition to the putrid smell, many homeowners have reported >problems with air conditioning and other systems that are likely >related to the defective Chinese drywall. This is being called the >next EIFS like disaster in the real estate market! > >Many have spent hundreds and even thousands of dollars - to have air >conditioning, pipes and wiring repaired. Usually, drywall is >manufactured in the United States, but a shortage between 2004 and >2006 prompted many builders to buy drywall from China. > >Most of the reported problems stem from drywall imported from China >during the construction boom years of 2004-2005. Florida and the >Gulf Coast states have been the first to report and have issue with >this drywall showing up but it also showing up in non-coastal areas. > >Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. of China, a subsidiary of >German-based manufacturer Knauf, is the company at the focus of >these drywall problems. If your newer home smells like sulfur or >rotten eggs, you may have defective Chinese drywall. The problem is >coming from coal ash that was mixed into the gypsum drywall >compound. It appears that China was attempting to get rid of their >coal ash problems by mixing it with the drywall compound. When the >drywall is exposed to moisture, such as high humidity a chemical >reaction starts. The result of this reaction is the production of >Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfuric acid gas. This is the rotten egg smell >that is present with the drywall. > >This drywall is responsible for the destruction of the copper coils >in HVAC units in the homes that it has been installed in. The >corrosive off gassing is also responsible for damaging many other >components in the homes from the copper electrical to the nails and >screws that are holding everything together in the home. > >As this is just starting to rear its ugly head, many are not aware >of this problem. If you want to learn more, just do a Google search >on Chinese Drywall and you will find pages of information on it. >This is from my blog ><http://activerain.com/blogsview/924108/Is-Toxic-Chinese-Drywall-in-your-home>Real >Estate Blog - Is Toxic Chinese Drywall in your home? > > >Also, if you have any first hand knowledge please let us know.. >Pictures of it would be great. > Teamwork: Together we achieve the extraordinary. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
