Chinese drywall continues to remain a puzzle to those of us not personally impacted by it in our homes and properties. If you have not yet heard about Chinese drywall, it is drywall that contains high amounts of strontium and sulfur and that is off gassing corrosive gasses that impact the mechanical and electrical systems in a home or property.

A couple of important things to know about Chinese drywall is that not all drywall labeled made in China is off gassing, drywall offgassing corrosively has been found with American labels and corrosive drywall has now been found in commercial properties including shopping centers, office buildings and warehouses.

More and more reports of home and property owners starting to repair homes and businesses impacted by corrosive drywall are coming in. Some of these repairs are complete gut and remodels or a variation such as removing all drywall but leaving the electrical wiring in place. Others are chemical or gas treatments of some form.

If you are a home or property owner contemplating removal of corrosive drywall make sure you look at the Multi District Litigation Court’s Preservation of Evidence program. Even if you elect to leave the drywall in and go ahead and chemically treat the house, if you do not take steps to record what type of drywall you have in your home or property, then your future litigation or settlements could be endangered or dismissed due to “destruction” of evidence.

What else is happening in the world of Chinese drywall currently? Some of the latest articles and news include:
• Reports of remediation costs coming in from test homes in Virginia being monitored by the MDL Courts at considerably higher prices than contractors were expecting.
• Rumors of failing remediation on homes already done.
• Reports of sulfur eating bacteria in the drywall gaining credibility.
• Homeowners continuing to struggle to get state and federal attention.
• Lenders not responding to requests for forbearance.
• Bloggers having a field day with scare stories.
• Reports of commercial properties impacted by defective drywall.
• Manufacturers continuing to promote "solutions" without the public having a full understanding on what is causing the off gassing.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the summit meeting notes from the meeting at Indian River State College on January 29, 2010 follow this link. The Conference was called “Tainted” Chinese Drywall: Getting Help for Those In Need”. This conference was for professionals currently assisting or interested in assisting home and property managers who are dealing with corrosive drywall.