Even though there have been many lawsuits, Chinese drywall hasn't yet been recalled. This Chinese sheetrock is manufactured using fly ash which is a waste product of coal burnt in power plants. It poses a health hazard to children and those with environmental sensitivities.
It emits sulfur gasses and can turn air conditioner vents black, tarnish silverware and copper and corrode or rust other metals. Since it reacts with copper, it can also turn electric outlets black. It emits a "rotten egg" odor.
If you live in a home that's been built or renovated in the past 4 years you may have Chinese drywall in your home. It usually has a distinct gray color.
The remedy: Replace the sheetrock. Some have had success using ozone fogging (to remove the sulfur gases) along with barrier paint and primers.
By Cyinda from near Seattle
Editor's Note: Here is some more information from Wikipedia on this problem.
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If your reference to "ozone fogging" means ozone air cleaners, the EPA warns AGAINST using this type of product. The amount of ozone necessary to clean the air is thought to be far beyond that which is safe for humans. Ozone in and of itself is a lung irritant, so using ozone to to "remove" sulfur gases can only exacerbate the problem. Indoor ozone generators are no safer than outdoor ozone caused by pollution.
From the EPA:
iaq.custhelp.com/
This has been a huge problem in Florida and the health risks cannot be understated. If you have it, do whatever it takes to get rid of it.
We've had this problem in New Orleans also. It's particularly heartbeaking because so many of the homes affected were rebuilt as a result of Katrina. Now the homeowners are faced with another major house repair as well as health issues.
You use the ozone generator only for ONE day & when NO humans or pets are at home. This ONE day will help remove the smell. It worked wonders for us when we had a house fire, and it worked in only one day. It was totally amazing! Before that we couldn't stand to be inside the house (it smelled like a camp-fire & it permeated the carpeting, draperies & furniture & even the ceiling pop-corn. We were blown away when we could actually breath & live in our house again (instead of a motel) The ozone machine was brought to us by professionals that clean up after fires. They warned us not to be in the house while the machine was on because it removes oxygen.
About using the ozone machine - I'm only quoting what I've read online in a "Environmental" type web site. I gave more references, but the ThriftyFun folks failed to post them with the rest of the info. (It was a "copy, click & paste" direct quote. (not my idea & I don't even know if it actually works) even though I'd use it in a New Your minute if I had the problem & couldn't stand the rotten-egg odor in my house! When you're in a situation like that, you'll try anything!
Thank you for taking the time & giving us this information.
I too have seen the warning against using ozone generators; they said it wouldn't work. But it seems there's more to the problem than China, ordinary drywall is made from calcium sulfate, and there's maybe a tenth to one-half the strontium in US products as Chinese.
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