Imported Chinese Drywall Is Subject of Numerous Probes in U.S.

During the height of the U.S. housing boom, U.S. contractors imported 540 million tons of inexpensive drywall and ceiling tile from China, some of which is tainted with chemicals and other substances that give off a foul smell that can corrode copper pipes, blacken jewelry, and possibly sicken people, according to the Associated Press. The drywall — imported from 2004 to 2008 because of shortages in U.S.-made drywall — may have been used in more than 100,000 homes, including some of those rebuilt in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The drywall can give off a rotten-egg smell — especially in warm, damp climates — and contains volatile sulfur compounds that tarnish metal. Hundreds of homeowners have filed suits against builders and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and at least five states are investigating the use of the material. State officials are trying to determine if the drywall is harmful to human health. A toxicologist from the University of New Orleans, hired by a Louisiana law firm representing plaintiffs, said the wallboard contains highly toxic compounds such as sulfuric acid and carbon disulfide.