Toxic
Chinese Drywall
Following material shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
thousands of homes were rebuilt
with imported Chinese drywall.
Many of these homes have now have problems related to emissions
of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S.)
Hydrogen sulfide
is an acid gas that can cause health effects, including headaches,
pulmonary irritation, asthma attacks, and many other unpleasant
symptoms
How can you test for exposure to toxic Chinese drywall?
Get some new
copper wire from a local hardware store, cut a few inches of wire
and place a piece of wire on a plate in each room (for larger rooms,
use 2 or more wire samples.)
If the wire begins to
corrode, you may have a problem.
If the wire turns black
within a few days, this is a strong indication that you have a problem.
If you plan
to take action or to seek a legal recourse, you should get a qualified
expert to validate your findings.
Even if the
wire does not change color but you suspect your home contains Chinese
dry wall you may wish to seek advice from your consumer protection
office or seek legal counsel.
If
you have confirmed the presence of this acid gas, what can you do?
Establishing who is responsible for the removal and replacement
of the dry wall and getting them to take action may involve many
difficulties
and delays.
The effects of hydrogen sulfide acid in the air in your home are
immediate.
Apart from the
danger to your health, acid gases may also corrode your electrical
wiring and copper water pipes, which could lead to a fire or flooding.
As a short-term
solution to the risk to electrical wiring, it may be a good time
to talk to an electrician who may provide you with a wiring resistant
to acid gas. This may be less expensive than changing all the drywall.
If the cost of total
replacement is prohibitive, it may be easier to swallow piecemeal,
doing a bit at a time, starting in the worst areas where the H2S
is at its highest concentration.
It may take
time to achieve a permanent solution to this problem.
An
Airpura High Efficiency Air Purifier will immediately reduce
the amount of hydrogen sulfide gas in your home.
Our C600DLX
model is designed to capture airborne chemicals and is used in laboratories
and industrial situations.
The large 26lb
activated carbon bed filter is composed of a blend of impregnated,
enhanced and regular activated carbons designed to deal with airborne
occurrences of chemicals such as Hydrogen Sulphide.
The unit is
23 inches high and 15 inches in diameter on casters for easy movement.
The air in a
room as large as 2000 square feet can be can be changed every 20
minutes at high. At low speed the Airpura C600DXL will maintain
a continuous flow of clean air.
Immediate
relief
In choosing
an air purifier to bring immediate relief from this difficult problem
it is important to realise that the only long term solution is to
remove the source of the problem and have the Chinese drywall removed.
Cost effective
An Airpura High
Efficiency Air Purifier is however a reasonably cost effective way
to bring immediate relief and is a good investment for the and future
health of you and your family.
After the Hydrogen
Sulfide problem is resolved permanently
you may wish to replace the special chemical filter in your air
purifier with a more conventional particle and airborne chemical
combination to continue enjoying the benefits of clean indoor air
in your home.
A
reasonable solution
Be aware that
some companies will try to cash in on your hardship and try to get
you to buy air filtering systems that can cost from $2000 to $6000
each, and even recommend that you buy 2 of these huge machines.
In fact many of these systems, may not be sufficiently equipped
with specialized filtering capacity.
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