Toxic Waste in Chinese drywall

Drywall imported from China during the homebuilding boom years of 2004 and

2005 was made with waste materials from scrubbers on coal-fired power plants.

Those materials leak into the air as gases and combine with the moisture on an air conditioning coil to create sulfuric acid, which appears to be dissolving solder joints and copper tubing - creating leaks, blackening the coils and even causing the system to fail.

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Best Regards Tom.

Reply to
Azotic
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Sounds like somebody trying to scapegoat the furriners. This problem has been due to the AC manufacturers and long predates any Chinese imports:

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Reply to
Richard J Kinch

You don't. It's common practice to harvest gypsum from bag houses from coal fired power plants, even here in the good ol' USA. It is used by the drywall industry to make wallboard. There are other sources, much of it occurring in nature.

One thing to consider---sulfuric acid does NOT dissolve copper. It is commonly used as a pickle for copper, attacking *only* copper oxide. There should be no free sulfur compounds present to create sulfuric acid---it is bound with the limestone that is used to neutralize sulfur dioxide, making gypsum in the process.

Harold

Reply to
Harold and Susan Vordos

You forget this drywall came from china, known for thier high standards of quality and unique cost cutting solutions. Seems the chinese have found a way make low cost gypsum by eliminating all those unnessary and costly steps others use. As i recall the chinese also like to add some secrete ingrediants on occasion as they recently did with baby formula they exported.

"It is the drywall, and from what I gather, it is causing a problem with copper and specifically air conditioning units," said Dawn Harris-Young, spokeswoman from the EPA Region 4 in Atlanta.

The Florida Health Department is handling the issue and keeping the EPA apprised, she said.

Just gonna have to wait for a lab analysis to determine what that drywall realy contains.

Best Regards Tom.

Reply to
Azotic

I don't (and wouldn't) doubt the possibility of other contaminants, Tom. I think we've seen ample evidence of that already by the other products that have proven to be troublesome---just trying to shed some light on the idea that it is common practice for drywall manufacturers to use the salvaged gypsum from that source. A workman was killed here recently when a huge piece came off one of the scrubbers and hit him. They were salvaging the gypsum when it happened.

I wonder, how safe are we, even with board made in the US? It seems to me that many corporations have placed a higher priority on profit than anything else. At this point in time, nothing surprises me.

Harold

Reply to
Harold and Susan Vordos

It seems the Chinese make many different levels of "quality". Much is junk and some is actually stuff that meets or exceeds standards as set by the country to which it is to be exported too. I remember that in those years there were shortages of alot of building materials, as the construction boom, and the recovery from several large hurricanes was ongoing at the time. So a lot of this was likely overlooked in the interest of expediting contracts and repairs.

AsianDoll

Since its my school semester break I have been using my free time playing games like

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Reply to
asiandollno1

At least we lawyers that will go after US corporations doing bad things. Its the the offshore companies that pose the biggest threat in my opion being out of reach of our justice system. With globalism being all the rage don't expect our government to ban trade with any country. We are all expendable for the sake of profits. Yes we do live in intresting times when peoples lives are nothing more than numbers on P&L statment. Expect to see caps set on wrongfull death law suits to maintain profits.

Best Regards Tom.

Reply to
Azotic

Pretty simple, apparently. If you have always smelled sulfuric acid and a testing company can determine it is the tainted sheetrock... it is the tainted sheetrock.... regardless where it came from. There are only reports of Chinese tainted materials. Go figure....

I think the clue is that it has never been reported before (in American brands) and that other sources clearly state that the Chinese clinker material should have gone to a landfill.

The best part, I think, is that there are no known health risks associated with snorting sulfuric acid. Have some?

PS For those apparently concerned, there are no PC points deducted for profiling sheetrock.... only people.....

Yep, and since it is not now economically viable for the crappy Chinese sheetrock to be exported here, we'll let other countries deal with the odor and health risks.

Reply to
Gene

That article has NOTHING to do with the sheetrock argument, unless you equate sheetrock and ants.

In fact, if you re-examine the website, you might see that it is all about $elling $ervices a$ an expert witne$$. The article really doesn't make any sense....

Reply to
Gene

*Sulfur*? That's it? Cardboard gives off sulfur too. And a bunch of it usually is in dried fruit which you actually eat (and it's enough to make for quite odiferous emissions out the exhaust-- eat a couple of pounds of dried apricots and see what happens). No big deal, but I guess in tough times some folks are working overtime looking for ways to get out of their commitments.
Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

I take it you didn't actually read or comprehend the articles referenced or you would understand that it has nothing to do with ants.

Try this one:

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Reply to
Pete C.

I've seen that in testing incoming components. Poor quality appears to be a management choice, not a reflection on the workers. Historically China could match or beat the best of Europe when they wanted to.

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

HAHAHA. well worded.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

any examples of this?

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

There is a sheetrock plant here in PA that has a long conveyer system ( I think its over half mile) that goes right to the coal generation plant that averages burning 100 coal cars a day. You always had a little acid forming wnen sheetrock got wet.

John

Reply to
john

Not the dried apricots I eat. From Turkey, they are, and unsulphered as well. Get them from the bulk section of the local Fred Meyers (Kroger). The lack of sulpher allows them to turn dark brown/black, but they still taste every bit as good as the prettier, chemically treated variety.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

And they don't bring on asthma attacks. 45 years after my last problem with asthma as a kid, eating two or three sulfur-treated dried apricots will leave me gasping for breath.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

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The MiG copies were reputedly very well made, too. Usually curved aircraft sheet metal has ripples but I didn't see any on the Shenyang J-2 I had a chance to examine.

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Two or three pounds of them and the whole building will be gasping for breath.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

Most industrial Chinese lathes over 13" swing

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Reply to
Gunner Asch

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