Chinese Drywall Linked to Metal Corrosion, U.S. Says

Chinese Drywall Linked to Metal Corrosion, U.S. Says

Nov. 23 -- Sulfur emissions from imported Chinese drywall is linked to corroding metal and wires in U.S. homes, and may be causing eye irritation and other health complaints by homeowners, federal investigators said.

A study of 51 homes with Chinese-made drywall found corrosion, including on copper air-conditioner coils, the report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission said today. The homes also had elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde, which may cause eye irritation, cough, headaches and sinus infections reported by some homeowners, the report said.

Most of the 2,100 homeowners who complained live in Florida or Louisiana, where the imported drywall was used to rebuild after hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. About 7 million sheets of drywall were imported from China in 2006, according to the consumer agency. U.S. safety officials have banned further imports and set up a task force to consider remedies.

“We now have the science that enables the Task Force to move ahead to the next phase -- to develop both a screening process and effective remediation methods,” Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the CPSC said in a statement. “We are now ready to get to work fixing this problem.”

The levels of hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde are low so they may be combining to act as irritants, safety officials said in a telephone conference with reporters.

A group representing producers and users of formaldehyde challenged that finding today, calling the report’s hypothesis “irresponsible.”

The Only Difference

In the study, the only difference between the control and complaint homes was in the level of hydrogen sulfide, said Betsy Natz, executive director of the Arlington, Virginia-based Formaldehyde Council Inc. “There was no difference between the levels of formaldehyde measured in each group,” Natz said in an e-mail.

Federal and state health experts said homeowners should open windows, keep temperatures low, run a dehumidifier, and spend time outdoors to limit the health effects of the irritants.

U.S. safety officials asked manufacturers in China for a “just and fair approach” to compensate homeowners, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said today.

So far, there have been no fires causes by corroding wires or electrical fixtures, Wolfson said.

“There were no indications of significant overheating of conductors or conductive parts due to the corrosion events,” the report said.

Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, didn’t return a telephone message seeking comment.

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