Agents should be aware of defective Chinese drywall with extremely high levels of sulfur and strontium, which is believed to be causing severe corrosion of copper piping and electronics in homes.
The Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune began investigating reports back in November 2008 of owners of new-construction homes who were being plagued by repeated failures of their HVAC systems, the copper coils of which were quickly becoming black and pitted no matter how often they were replaced; their excellent and ongoing investigation eventually led to the conclusion that the problem lay with gases being released by defective drywall that was imported from China in response to local shortages during the housing boom of the last decade. While there are no confirmed cases of this drywall having been used in the DC area yet, it’s important for agents to be aware that in coming years, these reports are likely to crop up in homes that agents will be listing or helping buyers to purchase.
In the video below, Dr. David Krause (state toxicologist from the Florida Department of Health) discusses what is now being referred to as “Chinese drywall” with a group of Realtors in Florida; the pictures he shows comparing HVAC systems of normal homes (at 7:30 and 8:48 into the video) and homes with Chinese drywall (at 7:58 and 9:04 in the video) are striking:
As he notes, this sort of corrosion keeps recurring no matter how many times the HVAC systems were replaced–in some cases owners have had to replace systems as many as a dozen times in one year–and this corrosion is occurring on any copper (or to a lesser extent brass) in the affected homes, including appliances and computers as well as (much more dangerously) smoke detectors and brass natural gas fittings. In addition to the now-confirmed connection with metal corrosion, Chinese drywall is also reported to have caused health issues such as headaches, nosebleeds, and trouble breathing, although it’s worth noting that there is no scientific proof as yet for the connection between Chinese drywall and those reported symptoms.
The Herald-Tribune has a map (PDF) showing the states where Chinese drywall is known to have been imported; the largest importer by far was Florida, and DC, Virginia, and MD are not among the states where Chinese drywall is known to have been imported, but neighboring states such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania were importers, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that at least some of the affected drywall was used in the DC/MD/VA area. That map gives estimates of the number of affected homes, but those numbers are best-case scenarios, based on dividing the amount of imported Chinese drywall by the average amount of drywall used in a home; as Dr. Krause points out, though, the affected drywall is mainly 1/2″ drywall, which is only one size of drywall used in homes, and there are reports of Chinese drywall being used in remodeling projects in addition to in new construction, meaning it’s use is probably more widespread than initially thought–by some estimates, the number of affected homes could be up to 100 times as large as the Herald-Tribune’s numbers.
Again, there are no confirmed cases of Chinese drywall in the DC as of yet; depending on how widespread the product turns out to be, though, this could become a large issue that agents should be aware of, as the potential liability issues combine potential health risks (similar to radon and asbestos issues that agents already deal with) as well as product failure issues (similar to polybutylene and EIFS issues).
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The Levensten Law Firm
on Aug 5th, 2009
@ 3:56 pm:
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has received in excess of 600 reports from 21 states of problems from defective Chinese Drywall. If you or a loved one is a victim of Chinese Drywall, we can help you gain compensation for your damages. Please visit us on the web at http://www.mychinesedrywall.com, http://www.pharmainjurylawyer.com, or http://www.levenstenlawfirm.com. You may also feel free to call us at our toll free number 1-800-510.1325.
Cynthia
on Aug 6th, 2009
@ 7:02 am:
The defective Chinese drywall debacle has been making news for months now, with homeowners plagued by sulfur fumes that smell like “rotten eggs” and cause air conditioning coils to corrode. Residents complain of sinus and respiratory ailments, eye and skin irritation, persistent runny or bloody noses, headaches, and asthma. Some situations were so severe that residents had to vacate their homes. In some cases, victims have been harassed by builders into signing unfair, one-side remediation agreements. The issues surrounding defective Chinese drywall are confusing and worrisome. Here is a good blog that has been providing emerging and valuable information on the problems: http://www.chinese-drywall-answers.com