Consumers told to gut Chinese-drywall homes

[PDT]

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/02/business/la-fi-chinese-drywall3-2010apr03

Consumers told to gut Chinese-drywall homes
Wallboard, wiring, sprinkler systems -- all of it should go, two federal agencies say.
April 02, 2010|By Alana Semuels

Homeowners who may have hazardous Chinese drywall in their homes should remove it, two government agencies said Friday, in effect advising thousands of people from Florida to California to gut their homes.

Consumers should remove "all possible problem drywall" and replace their electrical wiring, sprinkler systems, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, according to new guidelines issued Friday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"Based on the scientific work to date, removing the problem drywall is the best solution currently available to homeowners," said Inez Tenenbaum, chairwoman of the safety commission.

Authorities began investigating problem drywall in 2008, when homeowners in Florida complained of foul odors seeping from their walls and corrosion in their air conditioners, mirrors, electrical units and jewelry.

Although officials initially found no problem with the Chinese-made material, studies eventually showed that the corrosion could be linked to drywall from China. The problematic drywall emits hydrogen sulfide at rates 100 times the rates of non-Chinese samples, the commission said.

Some homeowners complained of health problems, including coughing, nosebleeds, sinus infections and other throat, nose and lung irritation. The commission said it was continuing to investigate claims from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

The agency issued guidelines in January to help consumers identify whether their homes contained problem drywall.

Homeowners who had new drywall installed between 2001 and 2008 were instructed to look for blackened copper electrical wiring or air conditioner coils. Inspectors would then test the corrosive conditions in the homes and the drywall.

Now, the same homeowners are being told that the best step is to remove the drywall, which amounts to gutting homes or additions where the cheap, imported building material was used.

It's still unclear who will pay for this process. Thousands of homeowners have filed suit against the Chinese manufacturers who made the drywall and the U.S. companies that sold it.

"We are looking to recover not just the cost to fix the home, but other damages," said Jordan Chaikin, a lawyer with Parker Waichman Alonso, a New York law firm that is representing about 1,000 homeowners who have sued for damages.

Many of the homes containing the Chinese drywall are in the Southeast. They were constructed after hurricanes destroyed homes in Florida and Louisiana.

In addition, many complaints have arisen from homes built in several states in 2006, near the end of the housing boom.

[techguy]

Good luck getting any money from the Chinese on this.

I am sure they are using this crap in their buildings....

[JDRock]

F'in gooks....rid your home of EVERYTHING made by the yellow bastards.

[WebTech]

As a retired drywall contractor and Indoor Environmental Engineer I can tell you that this is a HUGE problem. These houses do need to be gutted. But that's not all, the exterior walls will have to be sealed before new insulation and drywall is put back up..

The costs will be huge. This might just be Zerro's "get the mex-a-cans back to work plan". Here in south Fla there are tens of thousands of homes built with this crap.

I don't know. I have had some calls from some contractors on this. But it was mostly the big national builders who used this stuff.

Watching how this one plays out.

WT

[StackerKen]

Most of you know that I have been a steel stud carpenter for 30 years
the company's i work for are Drywall contractors and I have hung a quite a bit of D/W over the years.

I have never seen Drywall that was made anywhere but the US.

As far as I know the stuff they sell here in Ca. is US.

I Just don't get how the Drywall from china could be much cheaper than the drywall made in the US. (with the shipping cost and all)

[Libertytree]

Most of the China D/W came to Florida because of the demand during the boom, not that it was any cheaper. I know of dozens of houses and people who are affected by this issue. Lots of unemployed people are doing nothing but gutting these places and because they are now bank owned foreclosures they're not remodeling them yet either, just letting them sit.

The big national builders are spending huge amounts of $$ on this, moving people out of their places, remodeling the entire structure and then moving them back in. We're talking hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of $$$.

[Horn]

How in the Hell do they make drywall to emit a corrosive.

Something used in the process?

I thought there was only two ingredients involved in it's creation?

[Libertytree]

I don't know what the hell is in it but the damage it creates is astounding, I've never seen anything like it!

[techguy]

How in the Hell do they make drywall to emit a corrosive.

Something used in the process?

I thought there was only two ingredients involved in it's creation?


Actually easier than you think.

Gypsum can be mined, or it can be recovered from waste products of coal burning power plants.

Guess where the chinese drywall gypsum came from??

And this does explain the sulfur content, no?

[techguy]

http://www.caer.uky.edu/kyasheducation/gypsum.shtml


Synthetic Gypsum is a by-product of the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) process, commonly known as "scrubbing." In a scrubber, sulfur oxides are removed from combustion gases by mixing the gases with finely-ground sorbents, usually limestone (calcium carbonate) or lime (calcium oxide).

[Horn]

Ah-ha Synthetic Gypsum,,,

Apparently the real stuff is just too much quality for some, Thanks ::)

[StackerKen]

I wonder what the health risks are for those that are gutting the houses.

Seems like a good thing for drywall hangers that were out of work though.

[techguy]

I wouldn't guess it would be bad if you had good ventilation and wear a light respirator to keep from inhaling the dust.

[WebTech]

I wonder what the health risks are for those that are gutting the houses.

Seems like a good thing for drywall hangers that were out of work though.


No one know yet. But I would assume in ten years we will.

WT

[WebTech]

I wouldn't guess it would be bad if you had good ventilation and wear a light respirator to keep from inhaling the dust.




I wouldn't touch it unless I was wearing a full face mask with HEPA filters.

WT

[techguy]

I wouldn't guess it would be bad if you had good ventilation and wear a light respirator to keep from inhaling the dust.




I wouldn't touch it unless I was wearing a full face mask with HEPA filters.

WT



I have done alot of remodeling work in the past and tearing out sheetrock is not nearly as dusty as installing it.

What I always REALLY hated about tearing out sheetrock was dealing with the insulation, dust, and years of rodent/roach/bug droppings on the back side of the stuff.

Way worse than a little sulfur IMHO.

[WebTech]

We bid on a job once that the GC wanted to supply the material. (just labor) We didn't get the job. The Drywall contractor called me one day and was commenting that the 12' sheets were breaking before you could get them up to the ceiling.

The drywall was made in Poland, seriously.

WT

[PDT]

The costs will be huge.


Cheaper to just build a new home?

[WebTech]

Most of the China D/W came to Florida because of the demand during the boom, not that it was any cheaper. I know of dozens of houses and people who are affected by this issue. Lots of unemployed people are doing nothing but gutting these places and because they are now bank owned foreclosures they're not remodeling them yet either, just letting them sit.

The big national builders are spending huge amounts of $$ on this, moving people out of their places, remodeling the entire structure and then moving them back in. We're talking hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of $$$.


Actually there was a huge shortage due to the three hurricanes in 04 - 05 plus the gulf coasts. Add that to the new construction and that stuff was up to 20$ a sheet if you could get it. Same deal with shingles.

WT

[PDT]

I Just don't get how the Drywall from china could be much cheaper than the drywall made in the US. (with the shipping cost and all)


The Chinamen are probably powderizing their nuclear waste and using it in place of the gypsum. The cost of disposing of toxic waste is minimized, and so the drywall is essentially "free" - or less than free - to produce.

Anyone remember the radioactive kitchen utensils? The Chinamen were dumping their nuclear waste in the metal used for making cheese graters and stuff. Someone caught one at a scrap yard back East...well after some poor sap used it to make dinner for some time.

[PDT]

I wonder what the health risks are for those that are gutting the houses.

Seems like a good thing for drywall hangers that were out of work though.


I imagine full haz-mat precautions (per regulations) will have to be used, which will skyrocket the costs of replacement.

[StackerKen]

I imagine full bio-hazard precautions will have to be used, which will skyrocket the costs of replacement.


Yep i think your right
The hazard documents may not exist yet and they are required (in Ca. anyway)

[WebTech]

I have done alot of remodeling work in the past and tearing out sheetrock is not nearly as dusty as installing it.

What I always REALLY hated about tearing out sheetrock was dealing with the insulation, dust, and years of rodent/roach/bug droppings on the back side of the stuff.

Way worse than a little sulfur IMHO.



Yeah. on tear outs when we were removing mold it would be 90 degrees outside plus you were in a tveck suit with a full face mask. Ouch. You could only work a hour, rest and cool down an hour(drink a lot of water) then get back at it. and the insurance Co's wondered why it was so expensive. Plus guys who would work under those conditions were scarce and expensive.

WT

[WebTech]

I imagine full bio-hazard precautions will have to be used, which will skyrocket the costs of replacement.


Yep i think your right
The hazard documents may not exist yet and they are required (in Ca. anyway)


I have been out of the IAQA for some years now, but you are correct. It will take them a year of argueing before standards are set.

WT

[techguy]

The translation is if you are stuck with a home with this crap.

1. move and let the bank have it.

or

2. get that crap out NOW before so many rules are placed for removal that it becomes prohibitively expensive.

[Libertytree]

I have done alot of remodeling work in the past and tearing out sheetrock is not nearly as dusty as installing it.

What I always REALLY hated about tearing out sheetrock was dealing with the insulation, dust, and years of rodent/roach/bug droppings on the back side of the stuff.

Way worse than a little sulfur IMHO.



Lots of folks around here are desperate for work, most of them are just using the little masks and long sleeved shirts if they have any (I'm in SW Fl). They're concerned but there's $ to be made, safety suits or not.

Yeah. on tear outs when we were removing mold it would be 90 degrees outside plus you were in a tveck suit with a full face mask. Ouch. You could only work a hour, rest and cool down an hour(drink a lot of water) then get back at it. and the insurance Co's wondered why it was so expensive. Plus guys who would work under those conditions were scarce and expensive.

WT

[WebTech]

Lots of folks around here are desperate for work, most of them are just using the little masks and long sleeved shirts if they have any (I'm in SW Fl). They're concerned but there's $ to be made, safety suits or not.



I know. But without proper training the homeowner could wind up with a bigger mess than what they started with. It really is a catch 22, and it is the insurance companys fault. They won't pay any more than 10k without a special rider for mold.

I have done jobs that were in the 300k range that took 6 month to do.

WT