Wiring Safe from Chinese Drywall Effects: CPSC and HUD Report

Federal regulators say that wiring blackened by Chinese drywall in homes throughout the United States does not present a safety hazard and does not need to be replaced, potentially saving some homeowners and companies thousands of dollars. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a Chinese drywall protocols update on March 18, announcing that tests show no electrical safety hazards from wiring that has turned black due to sulfur emissions from Chinese drywall. The two agencies say they are no longer recommending that wiring be removed in homes that are being rehabilitated due to damage from the imported wallboard. 

The CPSC has received thousands of complaints from across the United States from homeowners who had toxic Chinese drywall installed in their homes. The tainted drywall has been found to release strong sulfuric odors, corrode wiring throughout the home and damage appliances. In addition, many people have claimed that problems with the Chinese drywall caused various health issues for individuals living in the home.

Millions of sheets of the toxic drywall were imported from China into the United States due to a domestic shortage caused by a housing boom and construction following a series of hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States.

Members of the Interagency Task Force on Problem Drywall, made up of CPSC and HUD staff, had the effects of Chinese drywall tested on wiring at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. They simulated more than 40 years of Chinese drywall emissions and found that there were no acute or long-term electrical safety problems with wiring, despite the changes in coloration. 

The CPSC announced it is the final stages of its Chinese drywall investigation. 

Many homeowners have filed a Chinese drywall lawsuit, naming manufacturers, distributors and builders. In June 2009, all of the federal drywall litigation was consolidated and centralized in an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation, in New Orleans.

A Chinese drywall settlement with one manufacturer, German-based Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), has resulted in hundreds of homes undergoing repairs at the company’s expense, and is likely to be increased to thousands. However, the settlement only applies to those who can confirm that their drywall was made by KPT. Other Chinese drywall importers, particularly those based in China, have refused to even answer court summons or acknowledge the lawsuits.