Having lived through and written about the Great Mold Crisis andother scares, I'm watching with interest the development of anotherpotentially hazardous-to-your-health building issue: Chinesedrywall.
You've probably already seen the reports: Material shortagesafter Hurricane Katrina caused U.S. builders to start using drywallimported from China, which allegedly emits sulphurous vapors thatcorrode metal and could adversely affect health. In common usesince 2008, it's estimated that enough of the drywall has been usedto construct 60,000 houses of 3,000 square feet each.
At this point, the issue is still just a blip on the radar, withlittle or no insurer reaction in the form of policy changes orexclusions. Most insurers seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitudeto determine the exact trigger of the problem (some say moistureactivates the nasty fumes) and whether the threat is real orexaggerated.
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