Chinese Drywall in Some US Homes Should Be Removed

Chinese Drywall in Some Homes Could Cause Electrical Corrosion

A certain drywall made in China should be removed from homes after it has been found to cause corrosion of the electrical wiring, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Material in the drywall also contains hydrogen sulfide, and that can cause illness such as coughing, sinus infections and eye irritation.

Most complaints are coming from homes built after 2004-2005 in the Florida and Louisiana areas, which were hit by hurricanes during those seasons. There have been about 3,000 complaints according to BusinessWeek.

It is recommended that homeowners replace the drywall, the smoke alarms, wiring, gas-service piping, sprinkler systems and Chairman Inez Tenenbaum stated that the funding from those repairs could come from civil lawsuits and public funding.

Homeowners who have complained about this drywall in Florida first started noticing a sulfur odor in their homes, and had units such as air-conditioners fail. So far, about 2,100 people have sued for damages due to this drywall, some of which was imported in 2006, but all further imports have been banned.

It is not known at this time if this wire corrosion may cause a risk of fire or electric shock.