Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. Inc. are trying to reassure customers that drywall purchased at their stores is safe. According to The Palm Beach Post, the home improvement retailers say they have verified that none of their stores sold Chinese drywall that has recently been tied to problems in homes throughout the country.
Chinese drywall reportedly emits sulfur fumes that produce a “rotten eggs” odor and cause metals, such as air conditioning coils, to corrode. The fumes have also been associated with respiratory and sinus problems in some residents. In some homes, the drywall problems have been so severe that families have had to move, and some builders have begun gutting and replacing drywall in the buildings.
Usually, drywall is manufactured in the U.S., but the rebuilding necessitated by the devastating 2006 hurricane season, and housing boom that was occurring at the same time, prompted many builders to buy drywall from China. Investigators are still trying to determine how much drywall was imported. According to an Associated Press report, between 2004 and 2008, 540 million pounds of Chinese drywall entered the U.S. In 2006 alone, enough Chinese drywall was imported to build 34,000 homes.
While defective Chinese drywall has turned up in dozens of homes across the country, Home Depot and Lowe’s say anyone who purchased drywall from their stores can relax. “When we heard about the issue, we immediately got suppliers on the phone,” a spokesperson for The Home Depot told the Palm Beach Post. “We have only three or four suppliers and they provided us with written documentation that … we have not and do not purchase Chinese-made drywall.”
Unfortunately, dozens of builders did buy Chinese drywall from other suppliers. So far, most of the drywall complaints have come from southern states, where a warm, humid climate encourages the emission of sulfur fumes. The Florida Health Department has received over 150 complaints so far, though experts say as many as 35,000 homes may have used the material. In Louisiana, there have been at least 350 reports. Complaints have also come from Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina.
But it is likely Chinese drywall was used elsewhere. In dryer, cooler areas of the country, it could be years before homeowners begin seeing the problems associated with the material.
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October 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
no, we need to find out with out a doubt where their suppliers get their drywall. just a piece of paper saying they did not sell it to you is not enough!!!! I am very concearned about this.
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I agree with Gary, I am just as worry as he is about this matter, we purchased an extensive amount of drywall from Home Depot between 2005 to 2007 and even though Home Depot assures us that their drywall did not come from China, I would like better proof of it than just their word.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:42 am
You are all right. the key term here is that Home Depot and lowes claim they didnt sell Chinese drywall in 20006. What about 2004 and 2005? They of course are protecting themselves. I never had sinus or respiratory problems until the hurricanes of 2004 when we purchased drywall from home depot.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I agree my home was destoryed in 2005 from Katrina. Did Home depot or Lowe’s sell chinese drywall at anytimes? That what we need to know.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I clearly remember reading “Lafarge” on my drywall from Lowes. I thought it was odd it came to LA all the way from Germany.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
I built a craft room with drywall purcahsed from Home depot,we finished it and there was such a sulfur smell in the room it at the time was very toxic and we kept windows open and doors as much as posible it had smell for a long time,since cold weather is aproching it has not been noticed as much ,I still have two full sheets of 1/2 inch drywall in another room not used that was left over, I am retired out of the drywall trade and have never ever smelled drywall to smell like this has, if when spring and more humid weather returns if this smell is back again the drywall will be removed,some insulation smells at first but,nothing like this, it was even hard at times to stay in the room, and yes my wife and I both have been sick,next spring if it continues we are removing it , I suspected the material of it to be bad as I was installing it , the material was good and strong and it finished out very smooth, this was used only for the walls as suspended ceiling was used above, I will turn the sheets I have left over to read there label as I though it was made by USG company and still don’t know which made it but will find out, I found homedepot to be very nice people and very helpful with all my building I did there as it was all purchased from them many 2×4 lengths of lumber too.Windows,doors, screws and so forth we wondered why so much smell was there as I have handled many sheets of this stuff even finishing it mostly, if the drywall was the smell then it should be replaced as my wife has been very sick and this is a craft room for her and she spends many hours in there most days and evenings, I am not even saying the drywall is the smell but I have smelled so much of it as I worked the trade for 36 years. I have smelled a few sheets of it, something is wrong some where for sure, I may contact the goverment also telling about the experince that we are having what ever it is ,,must go thanks for letting me tell you about this, I do lots of buying from home depot Roger
November 24th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Ive worked for home depot for years though not in the south.The only drywall I have ever seen the company handle is U.S.G. (united states gypsum)