Radioactive drywall? Tests are negative
A joint study by the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Product Safety Commission has shown no health risk from radiation in drywall samples analyzed by the government agencies. The researchers tested 21 samples of domestic and imported drywall taken from manufacturers and homes with copper corrosion and foul odors.
All samples were tested for radiological evidence of phosphogypsum, a fertilizer byproduct that has been named as a possible culprit for the homeowner complaints of tainted drywall.
Researchers concluded that the radiological levels found in the drywall samples were naturally occurring concentrations “comparable to levels found in other commonly used building materials including bricks and concrete.” The tested drywall posed no health threat to homeowners, the scientists said.
Back in February, imported Chinese drywall became widely suspected of being the source of metal corrosion and foul odors in a large number of Southwestern Florida homes, prompting class-action lawsuits.
Since then, Lennar, one of the nation’s largest production builders, has identified approximately 400 homes that it built with defective drywall imported from China. The homes were constructed in the state of Florida during its 2006 and 2007 fiscal years, the company said in a July 10 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 1,174 reports from residents in 24 states and the District of Columbia who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to the presence of drywall produced in China, according to the CPSC's Web site. The majority of complaints came from Florida.
