Contaminated Chinese drywall came into this country beginning in approximately 2002

and continued through at least 2006. If your home is older than this date range,

contamination is possible but significantly less likely. There have been considerably

more reports of contaminated homes in Florida, but reports have also come from

Virginia. Some published data has attempted to trace the contaminated drywall to other

states to which it was shipped. My website has a map with this data, and you may want

to consider checking to see if your area was targeted for Chinese drywall distribution

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The telltale rotten egg smell of sulfur emanating from the contaminated drywall is well

known to any homeowner who suffers with this problem. In investigating the extent of

your contaminated drywall problem, you should ask yourself the following questions:

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Although some of our clients have reported that the smell has gotten better since they

purchased their home, typically it is not a problem that goes away on its own. The

sulfur content of the drywall continues to leach out causing that awful smell.

Our investigations have shown that sulfur concentrations can be worse in upstairs

rooms, smaller enclosed rooms, and areas with multiple cutouts in the drywall for

windows, doors, and electrical outlets.

Your air-conditioning system can have a dramatic impact on the circulation of air and

the extent of the smell. Many clients report that the smell is worse in the mornings, and

scientific air monitoring has confirmed this phenomenon.

You should get a notebook, and make as detailed notes as possible concerning your

best answers to the questions above.

Our legal investigation has shown there are at least five different and distinct types of

Chinese drywall with high sulfur content. One of the manufacturers stamped their name

on their product, KNAUF. None of the other manufacturers put their name on their

drywall is labeled "Made in China." If your nose leads you to a sulfur smell, and the

drywall is marked with this label, this is a strong indication of defective drywall.

Get creative in looking for exposed drywall. Many times, the attic is a great place to

look for the label. Push aside the insulation. Look for the "Made in China" label or the

manufacturer named Knauf (see the picture below for their logo).

Sheets of drywall come in different thicknesses, with the most common being ½ inch

and 5/8 inch. The vast majority of contaminated drywall that we have seen is of the ½

inch variety. If yours is thicker, it does not rule out the possibility of contamination, but

should make you "breathe a little easier." If the thickness is ½ inch, you might have the

contaminated Chinese drywall.

Drywall also comes in different lengths. Two typical lengths are 8 feet and 12 feet (with

the width being the same at 4 feet on both). Much of the contaminated Chinese drywall

comes in sheets which are the longer 4' x 12'.

This can become important as you look around your house for signs of the Chinese

label. It is not unusual for drywall contractors to utilize 4' x 12' sheets for the walls, but

because of the added weight and cumbersome size, revert to using 4' x 8' sheets for the

ceiling. So, if you are able to get into your attic (please be careful!) and push aside the

insulation of the ceiling, you may not find the "Made in China" label. Consider the fact

contaminated walls, but not contaminated ceiling.

It has also been commonly reported that the Chinese drywall is of inferior surface

consistency, suffering from bumps and waves. This may be a clue for you to take note

of, and is also a reason why drywall contractors resorted to using American drywall for

ceilings.

The gaseous sulfur which is released from the Chinese drywall wreaks havoc on

electrical wires and appliances. One of the most common findings of our investigations

is the corrosion of the electrical wires connected to the outlets in a home with Chinese

drywall. This is particularly true of the ground wire which is made of copper, and

exposed to the contaminated air behind the walls which may have a higher

concentration of the sulfur gas.

Here is a picture of a ground wire which has suffered extensive corrosion despite having

been in place for a short amount of time.

Your electrician or inspector, with experience in checking electrical connections, will

immediately be able to tell you that the wire is corroded. The typical comment is, "This

does not look like a wire that's only a couple years old and looks like it's 50 years old!"

Unfortunately, the damage is not limited to corroded wires. Many of our clients have

experienced complete loss of televisions, computers, major appliances, and even iPods

and cell phones. Worse, once the electrical grounds have corroded through, homes are

at risk of electrical fires.

As gaseous sulfur is released from contaminated Chinese drywall, the air inside the

home (referred to as the “ambient” air) builds up concentrations of sulfur. When your

air-conditioning system kicks on, the contaminated air is pulled into the air-conditioning

system and routed through the duct work and through the evaporator coils. As you can

see, these coils are then subjected to concentrated volumes of the contaminated air

blowing across them for extended periods of time.

The environment on the evaporator coils is cold. As the warm moist air blows across

them, sulfur precipitates out of the air and is caught in the "condensate" or moisture on

the coils. A chemical process unfolds causing significant corrosion of the airconditioning

coils. One of the most common problems homeowners with contaminated

Chinese drywall experience is the loss of their air-conditioning system. One of our

clients in Virginia received a letter from his builder indicating that air-conditioning coils

were failing repeatedly throughout the development. Another drywall victim had 10

separate coils replaced between March and December of one year.

Of greater concern, is the possibility that deterioration of air-conditioning components

will allow the venting or release of "Freon," or other refrigerants used in the airconditioning

system. If these gases are allowed to escape into your house, your family

could be breathing them in. The scientific technicians with whom we are working report

that the concentrations of these gases can be higher than the sulfur content in the air!

come out to do a check-up on your system. Make sure you are there when they arrive.

Go with them when they evaluate the coils in your unit and ask them to specify if they

see any corrosion of the coils. Of equal importance, make sure the technician

measures the amount of refrigerant in the system and reports back to you whether there

has been a significant loss of this dangerous chemical. If so, it may be possible that

you are experiencing leaks into your home from corrosion or "pinholes" that the sulfur

has eaten into your air-conditioning system.