Homeowners in Florida have been complaining that Chinese-made drywall has been stinking up their homes and corroding their wiring — and now that EPA has released a report that finds that indeed, there is something rotten smelling in the drywall. Sulfur.

According to the report, the Chinese made drywall contained sulfur and two compounds associated with acrylic paint that were not found in samples of drywall manufactured in the US. The EPA also found levels of strontium that were higher than in US drywall.

The AP says that shipping records show that “imports of potentially tainted Chinese building materials exceeded 500 million pounds during a four-year period of soaring home prices, peaking in 2006.”

Although the problem remains somewhat mysterious, the tainted drywall apparently causes a reaction that produces a foul, rotten stench that gets worse with heat and apparently corrodes metal — there have even been reports of blackened jewelry.

So far there’s been no evidence of a health hazard, but the Senate is going to address the issue in a hearing Thursday.

EPA finds suspect materials in foreign drywall [AP] (Photo: Qole Pejorian)

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