May 4, 2012

 Summary: An interesting side issue has arisen from the hurricanes of 2005. At the time, supplies of drywall were running low. The country had been through a housing boom and the destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita left ready construction materials in short supply. As a result, the construction industry turned to supplies of drywall made in China to supplement their limited supplies, and problems now exist due to the Chinese drywall used during the supply shortage.

Tests of some Chinese drywall have shown that it gives off a rotten egg odor from volatile sulfur compounds when exposed to heat and moisture. Moreover, in the presence of moisture these vapors create a corrosive environment that can damage pipes and electrical systems in the buildings where the drywall has been installed.