Is All Testing For Chinese Drywall Accurate? (Update 2022)
Update: Now that over a decade has passed since chinese drywall has come to fruition their still is not a great quick test for it. Testing is still not accurate and you really only know if you have it if you find it. We are still using visual methods to determine it and then trying to do core sulfur samples (That is where you remove a two inch disk from the drywall) and mail it off to a lab to see what the sulfur count is at. The problem with things like air tests etc, is that they are not accurate enough to solely rely on. I think because most of the chinese drywall issue court cases were settled and most of the houses that had issues were addressed there is going to be less of an interest in coming up with a test. This is because their is not as much money in it for lab companies and inspection companies to try and find a novel solution where there isn’t a novel problem. Maybe in another few years there will be a solution that is quick and easy like a simple air test or something that will tell us cheaply and accurately if the house has elevated sulfur levels.
Is all testing for Chinese drywall accurate? The short answer is “No”. The long answer…
Recently, we have had several customers call the office requesting a Chinese drywall inspection with testing. These customers had previously completed Chinese drywall testing and had been told they had Chinese drywall but wanted yet another and “non partial” inspection with testing. In some cases, upon completion of our inspection and testing, no evidence of Chinese drywall was found. Interestingly enough, in some of these inspections, the very boards in question were clearly manufactured in the USA. Additionally, proper testing by an accredited lab showed no excessive corrosion causing sulfur chemcial present in the questionable drywall.
Why the difference in results? Apparently, some testing companies are using test methods that are not recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Also, some companies are testing strictly for chemicals that are naturally found in USA drywall. In these type tests, the glitch may be that the allowable threshold for the chemical is set so low that some domestic brands may wrongfully be determined to be Chinese drywall.
As we have seen in the last year, the CPSC standards continue to evolve as more is learned about the problems with Chinese drywall. We try to stay abreast of the most current CPSC standards. We keep the lines of communication open with the labs we work with to ensure the most up-to-date testing. While we cannot guarantee our clients their homes do not have any Chinese drywall installed, we can offer some of our clients a level of confidence that will help them rest easier until the CPSC offers final protocol for identifying Chinese drywall.