Recent calls from homeowners thinking that their homes are tainted with mold are finding another problem. Newer model or remodeled homes (2004 and later) may have finished walls installed with tainted Chinese drywall.
The term refers to drywall imported from China that emits a foul odor, corrodes copper and metal surfaces, and can make you sick. Heat and humidity cause the tainted drywall to offgas, which not only creates a noxious odor, but causes the corrosion of metals. The drywall particles can easily become dislodged, thus raising the possibility of the particles entering our lungs. To date, there are no State or Federal regulations or protocol for the removal of Chinese drywall. Suffice to say you should exercise extreme caution before remediating a home from Chinese drywall.
Hundreds of millions of sheets of Chinese drywall were impoted into the United States from 2004-2006. Charleston, SC was a port of arrival for approximately 18.8 million pounds in 2006.
