As a result of the most recent Chinese drywall update that we published last week we received a number of calls to our office with requests for additional information.  Many of the people who called did not get our previous updates that we have been providing over the years.  The majority of the calls came frompeople who are not familiar with the Chinese drywall issue. That's not surprising because for all intents and purposes Las Vegas does not have a Chinese drywall issue.   

The subject of Chinese drywall most often comes up when agents have buyers coming in from the Southeast region of the United States where Chinese drywall is a very significant concern.  It is also a concern to many corporate relocation companies.

The information I have assembled in this publication will allow you to speak intelligently on the subject of Chinese drywall to your buyers or anyone else who asks.  At the bottom of this publication I have included links for you should you wish to delve further into the subject.  As always should you have any specific questions you can always email us (Spectrum@SpectrumInspectionGroup.com) and we will do our level best to provide you with the information you seek.  We don't know all the answers but we do know where to find the answers and we do not charge anything for providing this service.  We want to be more than another inspection company.  We want to be an asset that any agent or consumer can utilize to get answers to all their structural and mechanical questions.       

Paul J. DonohuePresident / Senior Inspector

There is a huge amount of information available regarding Chinese Drywall; too much to include in an email flyer. However if you read on I will give you an overview of the issue including some specific information that pertains to Las Vegas.  Be sure to review the links at the bottom of this publication if you really want to educate yourself on the subject.

Sincerely,

Paul J. Donohue, Spectrum Inspection Group   

==================================================== 

What is Chinese Drywall?

The term "Chinese drywall" refers to a defective sheetrock or wallboard product that gives off an invisible gas that causes accelerated deterioration of certain components present in homes. This gas also is purported to cause many inhabitants of the homes to become sick. The most frequently reported health issues are irritated and itchy eyes and skin, difficulty in breathing, persistent cough, bloody noses, runny noses, recurrent headaches, sinus infection, and asthma attacks.

The homes containing this toxic drywall have experienced some very unusual phenomena. Many homeowners have reported a sulfurous rotten egg odor in the home. Air conditioner units fail prematurely. Components such as DVD players, personal computers, televisions, microwave ovens, refrigerators, smoke alarms, and other electronic equipment also fail prematurely. Plumbing fixtures, mirrors and picture frames in the home experience delamination. Copper portions of gas piping in the homes containing this defective product have demonstrated accelerated deterioration.

Beyond the health issues and the expense of replacing expensive components in the home the issue brings with it several safety concerns. The risk of fire is increased because of the deterioration of electrical wiring. Smoke detectors in the home may become inoperable or unreliable. The accelerated deterioration of certain components in the natural gas piping systems of the homes is also a significant concern.

The term "Chinese drywall" is often used to reference problem drywall.  It is important to note that not all drywall coming from China is deemed to be defective.  The manufacturers of the defective drywall have now all been identified and are listed here.  

======================================================  

History  

Chinese drywall was first introduced to the United States in 2000 or early 2001. The use of this material increased markedly between 2004 and 2006 as the result of a shortage of domestically produced drywall to meet the reconstruction demands following hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. If you will recall there was also a nationwide residential home construction boom during this time period which further contributed to the national shortage of drywall.

Nearly 60 percent of Chinese drywall imported during this time frame came in through Florida ports. Miami was the largest port of entry, with more than 100 million pounds of Chinese drywall unloaded. This is followed by Port Everglades with at least 80 million pounds and Tampa with at least 50 million pounds of Chinese drywall unloaded.  

Other major ports involved in the import of this material include Long Beach and Oakland, California, Seattle and Tacoma, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Shipping records show that at least 550 million pounds of Chinese drywall has been offloaded at United States ports since 2006; enough to build 60,000 average sized homes.

The adverse effects of the drywall began to come to the attention of environmental and building officials in late 2008. The first incident report from a consumer was recorded on December 22, 2008

Agencies that were receiving complaints included the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). In 2009 an interagency joint task force was formed headed by the CPSC to collaborate information research and remediation efforts.  If you click on the logo depicted to the right it will take you to the CPSC Drywall Information Center which is the primary source for the information contained herein.   

================================================================== 

Currently the state with the most complaints is Florida with 2,177 reported cases. This is followed by Louisiana with 715 reported cases; Mississippi with 245 reported cases; Alabama with 239 reported cases; Virginia with 181 reported cases; and 329 cases reported in the 38 other states where the problem has been reported.

Currently there are seven (7) reported complaints in the state of Nevada. This is less than one tenth of one percent of all the reported cases. The location of the properties specified in these seven reported complaints in the state of Nevada is not known and the information is tightly held by the authorities.  To see a state by state breakdown of the reported cases click here.  

==============================================