Homes built in 2004 through the end of 2008 may contain drywall made in China. During the go go years of home construction, American manufacturer’s were unable to keep apace with demand and the market turned to foreign sources for drywall. A large quantity of drywall was imported from China to satisfy the demand. Unfortunately, the drywall materials supplied by the Chinese is tainted with high levels of sulfur. Reports are coming of homeowners complaining of rotten egg smell and have noted all of their silver objects are tarnishing at an astonishing rate. This is because in the presence of moisture, say from a bathroom or the kitchen, the sulfur in the drywall reacts with the moisture to form hydrogen sulfide gas. The same gas produced when a hen egg rots. In concentrated levels, hydrogen sulfide gas (chemical symbol H2S) is very dangerous and potentially deadly.
The problem seems to be mostly confined to the east coast, primarily Florida, but importers so far, have been unwilling to admit how widespread the distribution of the tainted product may be. It is easy to find out if a home contains Chinese manufactured drywall. Pull back the insulation and look for nomenclature such as “Made in China” or bearing the mark of manufacturers, including Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, Knauf Gips, and Taishan Gypsum Co. The smell is unmistakable. If you enter a home that’s been closed up for a while and contains this material, probably the first clue you will get that the home contains tainted drywall is the smell. If the home does contain tainted drywall, be sure to check the wiring. Copper conductors and wiring are affected by H2S like silver is, only worse. Exposure to H2S gas causes copper to turn into copper sulfide. The residue is a white crystalline looking powder which does not conduct electricity. More information is available by clicking here. Link
