Defective Chinese Drywall Lawsuits

Defective Chinese Drywall CPSC Report

An interagency task force has been investigating the issues of corrosion and health problems that have been reported by homeowners whose residences were built with Chinese drywall. Led by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the task force also includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Florida Department of Health, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and the Virginia Department of Health. This is one of the largest consumer product investigations conducted in U.S. history.

October 2009

In October 2009, the CPSC released the initial results of studies performed on Chinese drywall. The studies focused on three main areas:

• Elemental & Chemical Testing: Results from elemental and chemical analyses of seventeen drywall samples show that Chinese drywall had higher concentrations of strontium and elemental sulfur than non-Chinese drywall.


• Chamber Studies: Results from laboratory chamber studies revealed that Chinese drywall emits volatile sulfur gases at a higher rate than non-Chinese drywall.


• Indoor Air Studies: The indoor air testing was performed in ten homes in Florida and Louisiana. These studies revealed that only limited or occasional indications of hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide were present in the homes that were studied. Concentrations of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde were detected in both homes with and without Chinese drywall. These are known irritants that could exacerbate conditions such as asthma. However, the levels of formaldehyde were not unusual for new homes. The results of a 50-home indoor air testing study will be released in the near future.

Click here to read the CPSC's Executive Summary of the Initial Chinese Drywall Studies.

November 2009

On November 23, 2009, the CPSC released additional information regarding its investigation into the issues associated with Chinese drywall. The results from three preliminary reports were released and are summarized below. Moving forward, the Interagency Task Force will work to develop a protocol to identify homes with the problem drywall and develop a process to address the drywall and its effects.

• Indoor Air Study: The study of fifty-one homes in Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, Alabama, and Mississippi found a strong association between Chinese drywall, the hydrogen sulfide levels in homes with that drywall, and corrosion in those homes. The findings of the study concluded that hydrogen sulfide gas is the essential component that causes copper and silver sulfide corrosion found in the homes built with Chinese drywall. The study also found that hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde were detected at concentrations below irritant levels in homes containing the problem drywall. However, the report states that the combined effects of these and other compounds in the subject homes could cause irritant effects. Additional investigation is needed to learn more about the connection between Chinese drywall and the health issues reported by homeowners.


• Electrical Component Corrosion Study: This study evaluated the nature and extent of conductor metal corrosion that occurred in residential electrical components exposed to the problem drywall, as well as whether this corrosion would result in short or long term electrical safety hazards. Electrical components were taken from six homes in Florida and Virginia which were reported to contain the problem drywall. A visual inspection revealed that all of these electrical components showed substantial corrosion of copper wiring. However, there were no indications of significant overheating of conductors or conductive parts caused by the corrosion.


• Fire Safety Component Corrosion Study: The study of the corrosion affects on fire safety components taken from homes with the problem drywall found a thin black corrosion product on all of the copper samples examined. It was determined that reduced sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, were most likely to have caused this corrosion. However, none of the samples examined were failed components and no evidence of an imminent failure was found. Further studies will attempt to determine the extent of corrosion that may occur during long-term exposure to hydrogen sulfide.

Click here to read the CPSC's Executive Summary of the November 23, 2009 Release.

If you suspect that your home was built with Chinese drywall and would like to learn more about your legal rights, contact Morgan & Morgan today for a Free Case Evaluation.