Chinese drywall causes problems on the Treasure Coast

[DainBramaged]

PORT ST. LUCIE — Martin and St. Lucie counties are two of nearly a dozen counties where complaints of possible exposure to the contaminated drywall in new homes have arisen.

The problem may have been sparked by drywall imported during the local construction boom of 2004 and 2005.

Some common symptoms are irritated eyes, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, and symptoms similar to bronchitis and asthma.

The contaminated Chinese drywall may be emitting one of several sulfur compounds including sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide. While exposure to fumes from sulfur dioxide can create irritation and breathing disorders, exposure to hydrogen sulfide can be deadly.

Exposure to 50 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide for more than ten minutes can cause extreme irritation. Inhalation of 500 to 1,000 parts per million can cause unconsciousness and death through respiratory paralysis and asphyxiation, according to environmental experts.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/dec/24/chinese-drywall-causes-problems-treasure-coast/

[Hekate]

1. Delightful. The Chinese are such friends of ours that Uncle Sam needs no regulations...

... of their products. :sarcasm:

Hekate

[DainBramaged]

2. It will be interesting when the homes are condemned and the liability

becomes muddied in legal red tape. Sub-contractors buying inferior product to increase their profit margins while the owners die for their greed. And who would have ever thought to inspect or test the drywall coming in from China? Not the Booshe assholes.

[kristopher]

3. There is no evidence that drywall is the problem or of Chinese origin.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x180093#180178


This is blatant racial scapegoating. Most drywall is of US origin and WE use "coal waste" as a primary source of gypsum for making drywall; AND under BUSH oversight of coal power plant emission control has been nonexistent. Look for the moat in your own eye and all that stuff...

[Hekate]

4. That's "mote" (speck) not "moat" (water filled ditch around castle). Aside from that...

It's not racial scapegoating, it's ire aimed at both those responsible for lax US trade agreements, multinational corporations, and Chinese behavior, which has caused sickness and death on both sides of the ocean.

At least on my part.

Thank you for the correction regarding the probable origins of this particular problem.

Hekate

[Gabi Hayes]

5. then again, some corrections aren't always correct, or at least open to interpretation:

''The primary environmental impacts of gypsum are habitat disruption from mining, energy use and associated emissions in processing and shipment, and solid waste from its disposal. Using 'synthetic' or recycled gypsum board significantly reduces several of these impacts.
Synthetic gypsum, which accounts for 20% of U.S. raw gypsum use, is made from the by-product of manufacturing and energy-generating processes, primarily from desulfurization of coal power plant exhaust gases. More than 80% of coal fly ash sold in the U.S. is used in gypsum board.''

http://www.ecoact.org/Programs/Green_Building/green_Materials/gypsum.htm

interpret that paragraph as you will, concerning the amount of 'desulfurized' CPPE gases used in recycled gypsum, then decide how much sulfurized gypsum is used in the manufacuring process. if it's 'desulfurized,' to what extent?

take it from there.

[DainBramaged]

6. Ask yourself, when was the LAST TIME you heard about American made

wallboard making people sick. Draw your own conclusions. Maybe, if China had the same stringent health and safety laws we do, this wouldn't be happening. But no. They don't. And it has nothing to do about race and everything to do about profits. And regarding coal waste, what country relies on coal production of electricity than any other? China. Don't let defenders tell you otherwise. Oh and did the US put melamine in the watered down milk?

[kristopher]

8. Most bigotry has its roots in economic rationale

If you dig deep enough virtually all instances of racial/ethnic bigotry are in some way founded on money or resource competition. This is no different.

The FACT is that no one KNOWS if there is even a common cause to the problems being sensationalized.
The FACT is that IF there are consistent problems with common causation, that the cause is drywall.
The FACT is that IF there are consistent problems with common causation, and IF the cause is drywall; NO ONE KNOWS whether the offending drywall is of Chinese origin.

The FACT that YOU rush automatically to the final conclusion without evidence; and then seek to justify such garbage logic by continuing to ignore the facts and relying instead on an appeal to stereotyping is, my friend, racism in action.

edited to add clarity

[DainBramaged]

14. Maybe you should stop defending China and we'd listen

you show up in a thread about a news story and accuse me of racism. Bullshit, you're trying to kill the thread because it must go against something you have an interest in. So if you want to squelch the story, why not write to the newspapers and wire services posting the story and get off my fucking back.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nashville_brook]

41. you should take up your charges of racism with the newspaper reporting the story.

[Obamanaut]

7. self delete

[DainBramaged]

9. 2 front Chinese court over melamine milk scandal

Posted Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:46pm AEDT

Two men have gone on trial in China accused of making and selling melamine, the chemical at the centre of a tainted milk scandal blamed for killing six children and making 300,000 others ill.

Police say the pair illegally manufactured and sold a protein powder composed mainly of melamine and malt dextrin.

The powder was added to raw milk to make it appear high in protein.

Police say an illegal workshop run by the pair on the outskirts of Jinan made 600 tons of the fake protein powder in one year, and was the largest source of melamine in the country.

State television showed the pair in court in handcuffs, their heads bowed while being questioned.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/26/2455390.htm?section=justin

Consumer Safety and China

More Candy From China, Tainted, Is in U.S

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/world/asia/02milk.html?_r=1

Blood Thinner Might Be Tied to More Deaths

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/us/29heparin.html

China: 6 Tried in Milk Scandal

Six Chinese suspects went on trial on Friday on charges of making and selling the industrial chemical at the center of a tainted milk scandal in which six children died and nearly 300,000 were sickened. The defendants included Zhang Yujun, 40, the owner of a workshop in Shandong Province that authorities said was the country’s largest source of melamine, the chemical cited as responsible for the deaths and sickness. The police say that he manufactured and sold a “protein powder” composed mainly of melamine and malt dextrin, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The powder was added to watered-down milk to make it appear to have a higher protein content. A second man, Zhang Yanzhang, 24, was accused in the same trial of buying and reselling 230 tons of the powder. Four other men were being tried in three courts across Hebei Province, accused of adding the chemical to raw milk and selling it to Sanlu Group, the main company in the scandal, according to Xinhua.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/asia/27briefs-6TRIEDINMILK_BRF.html

Hong Kong Finds More Tainted Eggs
Hong Kong food safety authorities said late Tuesday that for the fourth time in less than two months they had found a batch of eggs imported from China that were contaminated with illegal levels of melamine, the industrial chemical blamed for sickening hundreds of thousands of young Chinese children, six fatally.

The Hong Kong food safety agency has been conducting random tests for melamine on a variety of foods imported from China since a global recall of Chinese dairy products earlier this fall.

The agency said the tainted eggs were imported from a company based in Jilin Province in northern China and were being sold to bakeries in Hong Kong. The agency asked that the eggs be withdrawn from the market. It said the eggs 4.7 parts per million of melamine, nearly twice the level allowable in food products sold in the U.S., Hong Kong and China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/world/asia/04melamine.html



I guess bigotry caused these men to poison the children all in the name of profit?

[Gold Metal Flake]

11. It's not bigotry to poison children. It is bigotry to point it out.

Apparently. Or some shit.


:sarcasm:

[DainBramaged]

12. Did you notice that too?

:hi:

[kristopher]

15. How does it protect children

to blame something on the Chinese before we know the facts? Given all the unknowns in this issue, doesn't that type of stereotyping actually serve to provide cover to the actual wrongdoer?

But I understand, it is more satisfying to demonize and dehumanize an outside group than to actually try to understand and deal with real issues.

It's called racial scapegoating.

[DainBramaged]

16. I guess the news lies then?

Why are you trying to squash this thread? You accusations are false and you are creating a straw man to push your own agenda.

[kristopher]

18. How does it protect children

How does it protect children to blame something on the Chinese before we know the facts? Given all the unknowns in this issue, doesn't that type of stereotyping actually serve to provide cover to the actual wrongdoer?

But I understand, it is more satisfying to demonize and dehumanize an outside group than to actually try to understand and deal with real issues.

It's called racial scapegoating.

[DainBramaged]

19. YOU have an agend to shut this thread down, and stop accusing me of racial stereotyping

YOU are personally attacking me and I will not stand for it.

[Gold Metal Flake]

21. You suggest the story is in error?

Please justify your contention.

[kristopher]

25. Where is the proof it is true?

There is none. The allegation against the Chinese is rooted in some complaints against a builder that may or may not be actually related to drywall - there is zero evidence to support that it is. The only proof offered by the agent of the builder is that "some" drywall was imported from China over a two year period and that "some" of the Chinese drywall was made with "waste materials" from coal plant scrubbers.

That is the complete extent of what supports the frenzied denunciations of China that followed. By that same evidence (use of "waste material" from coal scrubbers) every piece of drywall used is suspect. Why single out the fact that "some" was imported from China other than to engage in scapegoating based on race?

[DainBramaged]

26. IT IS A NEWS STORY why are you accusing US of racism?

You are looking for demons where there aren't any. I think I am putting you back on ignore, you are truly the racist here.

[Gold Metal Flake]

31. Don't ignore.

Such racebaiting should be alerted everytime it is witnessed.

The freemarketeers have forced the public to be their own product testers by attrition. They have done so by infiltrating the regulatory agencies and sabotaging the investigatory processes. This is a part of the "Libertarian" movement to maximize profits. You know the story. Discussions about adulterated products and the sources of adulterated products can also affect profits, and I am sure many freemarketeers would want to curtail such discussions. Disruption is one effective method. Fight it.

[Gold Metal Flake]

28. I see that you did not answer my question.

You did present a dodge, backed wth a strawman.

You also equate the Country Of Origin with the predominate racial makeup of that country, which is a false equivelency. If the udulterated product came from Peru, France or Canada, it would make no difference. But you insist on bringing race into the discussion.

[Hekate]

55. Did you see this new report? Or is noticing the origin of tainted food a racist act?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3664155&mesg_id=3664155

[kristopher]

13. I rest my case.

The Bhopal disaster was an industrial disaster that occurred in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, resulting in the immediate deaths of more than 3,000 people, according to the Indian Supreme Court. A more probable figure is that 8,000 died within two weeks, and it is estimated that an additional 8,000 have since died from gas related diseases.<1><2>

The incident took place in the early hours of the morning of December 3, 1984, in the heart of the city of Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A Union Carbide subsidiary pesticide plant released 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing at least 520,000 people to toxic gases. The Bhopal disaster is frequently cited as the world's worst industrial disaster.<1><2><3><4><5> The International Medical Commission on Bhopal was established in 1993 to respond to the disasters.

The Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL) plant was established in 1969 near Bhopal. 51% was owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and 49% by Indian authorities. It produced the pesticide carbaryl (trademark Sevin). Methyl isocyanate (MIC), an intermediate in carbaryl manufacture, was also used. In 1979 a plant for producing MIC was added to the site. MIC was used instead of less toxic (but more expensive) materials, and UCC was aware of the substance's properties and how it had to be handled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster



The residue of millions of tons of coal burning at Kingston Fossil power plant in the Watts Bar Reservoir in Tennessee burst the bounds of the pond in which it was contained, burying as many as 400 acres of land in up to six feet of sludge. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which owns the coal-fired power plant—first operated in 1955—announced that 15 homes were buried and no injuries were reported.

A combination of rains and accumulating sludge likely contributed to the disaster—one of two major ash pond collapses in the past decade. All told, about 2.6 million cubic yards of so-called coal ash slurry escaped, the TVA says. The collapsed pond is one of three on the site.

"We deeply regret that a retention wall for ash containment at our Kingston Fossil Plant failed, resulting in an ash slide," said Tom Kilgore, TVA president and CEO in an official statement today.

Such slurry worries environmentalists and public health activists because it is the residue of coal burning. The burning concentrates the impurities in the coal, including arsenic, lead and mercury, among many other potentially toxic contaminants. Coal ash is also radioactive...
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=toxic-ash-pond-collapses


KINGSTON, Tenn. — What may be the nation’s largest spill of coal ash lay thick and largely untouched over hundreds of acres of land and waterways Wednesday after a dam broke this week, as officials and environmentalists argued over its potential toxicity.

Construction crews worked under lights Tuesday night to clear mud and fly ash from Swan Pond Road and the railroad tracks leading to the T.V.A. power plant in Kingston, Tenn.

Federal studies have long shown coal ash to contain significant quantities of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and selenium, which can cause cancer and neurological problems. But with no official word on the dangers of the sludge in Tennessee, displaced residents spent Christmas Eve worried about their health and their property, and wondering what to do.

The spill took place at the Kingston Fossil Plant, a Tennessee Valley Authority generating plant about 40 miles west of Knoxville on the banks of the Emory River, which feeds into the Clinch River, and then the Tennessee River just downstream. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/us/25sludge.html?_r=1&ref=us

[OhioChick]

10. Welcome to the global economy

Which equates to death.

[NewJeffCT]

22. These items are being imported by American companies

so, the American companies are primarily to blame for poor quality control over what they import, and for also outsourcing the manufacture of their product in the first place. If the US company wanted to outsource the manufacture of their product, it behooves them to do proper quality control at the new place of manufacture.

[DainBramaged]

23. See post #2

I try to read every response in a thread.

[NewJeffCT]

37. I have

and, as I said, these are not Chinese companies that are importing bad product, it is American companies that are not doing the work to ensure the quality of what they are importing. If you import something from China and assume it's all hunky-dory because it looks the same as something a now shuttered factory in the US produced, it's at least partially the fault of the importer for not realizing the history & culture. Chinese workers have been making shoddy product for hundreds of years before the US even existed - many historians think the Mongol fleet that sunk as it attempted to invade Japan was done in by poor Chinese workmanship on the fleet, and that was like 800 years ago.

When the head of Mattel goes to China to humbly apologize to China because it was the US made design that caused many safety recalls, most of China does not even think they have a problem - they think it's a problem with the US designers/engineers.

If the US companies did the work to ensure quality at their Chinese factories, the quality would be there. The problem is that they are not doing the work - they assume that it's just like the US and that a few samples is an indication of how everything works.

[Toucano]

24. Cirticism of Chinese manufacturing procedures and low standards is not RACISM

Sweet Zombie Jesus!

It is a criticism of a POLITICAL and ECONOMIC system.

The marriage of totalitarianism and unfettered capitalism that exists in China today is the problem. No aspect of Chinese character or race is being drawn into question.

China is going to suffer a global trade backlash and rightly so.

[kristopher]

27. Blindly blaming a group for an alleged wrong is...

What is critical to understand is that ALL ethnic and racial hatred is rooted in money. First comes the economic interests, then comes the stereotyping and dehumanization...

It is an established and known pattern.

[DainBramaged]

29. The products ORIGINATED in China, are you blind?

Read my post about the other products that have killed and maimed children and adults, the products ORIGINATED in CHINA not Mexico?

God you are trying your best to push a racist agenda where there isn't one.

[KittyWampus]

30. actually, the overall societal conditions in China are rooted in money.China's the new Great Britain

of Victorian times.

China's leadership knowingly allows poison as a method of business. They have zero interest in safety regulations and zero regard for its people.

They are like the NeoCons except they wield a tighter grip on their populace. I think the NeoCons are probably jealous of China's leadership in that regard.

But the NeoCons have managed to amass quite a bit of power using marketing techniques and Elmer Gantries.

[Gold Metal Flake]

32. Discussing products of Chinese origin is not racist.

The current business practices of some Chinese manufacturers is not a reflection of their race or historical culture. It is a reflection of a current mindset of some based in greed, which is a problem that is global in nature. Discussing poor or poisoned products from China is not racist, and is no diffrerent than discussing poor or poisoned products from England, South Africa or Thailand.

I am sure you understand this, but I want to repeat this next statement. A poster in this thread is racebaiting. Please help improve DU by using the Alert function.

[Toucano]

33. You have a valid point, certainly in an historical context.

It is possible, however, to examine the conditions with open eyes and separate the economic factors from the cultural and racial factors - which are not factors.

Obviously, there is no aspect of Chinese character, biology or culture that contributes to the rash of toxic products. Rather it is the reluctance of the west to impose any standards and the breathtaking greed on all shores that permits these occurrences.

I respect the notion that we should always be clear when criticizing the Chinese GOVERNMENT so that the low-thinkers won't conclude that it is acceptable to criticize the Chinese people or culture.

You cannot, I think, conclude that every criticism is based on bigotry and racism because it is possible to examine the facts with open eyes.

[Gold Metal Flake]

34. We posted at the same time with similar sentiments.

Excellent post, Toucano.

[Toucano]

35. Separated at birth?

My long lost twin!

I though I had eaten you in the womb!!

:toast:

[kristopher]

50. I agree.

That is what makes this such an egregious example of scapegoating. The product failure actually involves air conditioning systems. There is absolutely no evidence that any sort of defective drywall is to blame for the AC failures - it is pure speculation. Further, even if the speculation were proved true (so far testing hasn't confirmed it to be), there is nothing to connect the homes with AC failures. The original press report (linked to at the DU thread in my first post above) provides a statement that "some" Chinese drywall is made from "coal wastes"; and presents that as if it were a damning indictment of Chinese production methods instead of an industry standard. That is it, the entire case against the Chinese is rooted in that one misleading statement.

And what is truly enlightening is that the builder obviously relied upon a certain public reaction to the way the information was presented; and as is well demonstrated in the two DU threads on the topic, the builder's hopes were realized.

[MindPilot]

36. Not questioning that the drywall may be contaminated, but...

If the drywall is properly installed, all the joints and holes are sealed with tape & drywall compound, then the entire thing is encased in at least two coats of paint. Even if the drywall is contaminated in some way, it seems like the only exposure risk would be to the installers.

Again I'm not defending the Chinese manufacturers in any way; it just seems like if there were enough contamination in the drywall to make a home's occupants sick, the hangers would be dead and dying at the jobsite.

[FogerRox]

39. Outagssing of hydrogen sulfide will continue regardless of installation

an installers time of exposure would be minimal compared to the 1000's of hours a family would have.

And do me a favor, stay out of the drywall bizz, it aint for you.

[MindPilot]

44. And do me a favor, stay out of the drywall bizz, it aint for you.

That was kind of snarky, and since I did spend some of my mis-spent youth in construction hanging rock, I'm kind of curious what I said that drew that response.

[FogerRox]

48. NO....the families that live in those condos have the highest risk

If the drywall is properly installed, all the joints and holes are sealed with tape & drywall compound, then the entire thing is encased in at least two coats of paint.

Just how do you encase the entire thing in 2 coats of paint? Answer, you dont, you paint one side. But that didnt stop you from trying... lol.

Even if the drywall is contaminated in some way, it seems like the only exposure risk would be to the installers.

AH.. no... the family that lives in the house will have far more exposure. Go to bed at night, AC is on, doors and windows are closed, the house is essentially all buttoned up, while the drywall is outgassing.... while the family sleeps.

AS an industry ...... houses are being built more energy efficient over the last 30 yrs. More air tight. And thusly the things put inside that house have come under more scrutiny during this time.


....then you add in many new products made from new processes, and then we run into things like carpets that outgas formaldehyde, glues and adhesives that outgas etc.

No, the installers have the least risk and the families that live in those condos have the highest risk.

[Sentath]

46. paint is not a vapor barrier

it is quite porous at that scale

[MindPilot]

47. Uh, yeah it is, but that is a completely different discussion.

Hydrogen sulfid is very corrosive--that's basically battey acid. It wouldn't pass through the paint; it would simply disolve it on its way out of the wall. A room finished with hydrogen sulfide-contaminated drywall would look like a can of Jasco blew up.

[FogerRox]

52. I find no reports of drywall would look like a can of Jasco blew up

None of the experts in the field report this. What they do report is the drywall tended to be brittle.

[seabeyond]

38. bought some sheets a while back. they were so chemical filled i washed three times on hot water

to get out whatever they put in. just bought a mattress. told hubby, better not be from china. zero trust with their products. i am low on paranoia scale but i dont trust their products at all and now consciously look for made in china and opt out

[supernova]

40. So do I

I check for where the product is made, and if it says "China" I am NOT buying it.

Someone upthread said they sounded like Victorian England at the start of the Industrial Revolution. That is an apt comparison, IMO. Or even here as well in the 19th Century. All Profit and little to no regard for the safety of consumers and employees.

This isn't racist. I'm very fascinated by Chinese culture and history and language. I'm not at all happy with the way their products right now. I'll be more than happy to buy from them again when quality and safety improve.

[seabeyond]

42. fuck the racist bullshit. such a red herring. and stupid. they have no interest in health and

safety of consumer. simple as that. and proven factually.

[nashville_brook]

43. that's my take right now. there's plenty of manufacturers out there. why give your biz to

these economic frontiersmen? buy American.

[FogerRox]

45. Far more responsible info at link here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28356420/




We spoke with officials from Lennar Homes. They say their investigation in Southwest Florida shows independent subcontractors installed Chinese drywall in a very small percentage of Lennar homes built between November 2005 and November 2006.

Some Lennar homeowners say they don't know what to do.

"A lot of people in the neighborhood are scared. They don't want to speak up because if something needs to be done, they don't want to step on Lennar's toes," said Lennar homeowner Alana Consolo.

Any Lennar homeowner with questions or concerns can contact Division President Darin McMurray at [phone].Could you have Chinese drywall?

* Does your home have a strong smell (a sulfur or rotten egg-type smell)
* Do you have corroded copper coils in your air conditioner or are the coils black?
* Do you have KNAUF written on the back of your drywall? Go to your attic and look at the back side of the drywall for Knauf. This is the manufacturer's ID, which identifies it as the drywall in question.
* Chinese drywall is thinner and lighter than typical drywall

Additional information:

* This specific drywall is made of waste from coal-fired plants. The material that wouldn't burn was recylced into the drywall instead of being taken to a landfill.
* AMRC, an environmental engineering and testing company, says the problem is mainly in communities, not single family residences built on their own, like in Cape Coral or Lehigh Acres.
* The drywall was used in 2004 and 2005 because there was a high demand for building materials at the time and this was available and cost-effective.
* Don't waste money on lab testing. If you went over the checklist above and suspect you have Chinese drywall, call an environmental testing company to come out and verify it. It can be verified for legal purposes without lab tests.
* Health effects are unknown, there is not enough data on the actual chemical compounds to make a determination.

[MindPilot]

49. "Chinese drywall is thinner and lighter than typical drywall"

Then it's not up to code.

Also this seems to indicate the outgassing is happening from the backside of the drywall into the interior walls. Again, though if there is enough gas to create a smell and corrode the AC evap, it would be peeling paint and doing a lot of other damage. I'm guessing that these homes have more design and construction issues than just crappy sheetrock.

[FogerRox]

51. Stick to the science. Hydrogen sulfide doesnt peel paint.

Just like eating eggs with silverware, the silver turns dark, because of the sulfur in the eggs.


http://www.google.com/search?q=Hyrogen+sulfide+copper+pipes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

EDIT, as far as I know Hydrogen sulfide doesnt peel paint.

[jmowreader]

54. Even if it was the same thickness and weight, it wouldn't perform properly in a fire

Drywall works in a fire because there's water bound up in gypsum. When the drywall heats up, the water offgasses and protects the home.

The last I checked, there's no water bound up in fly ash.

Which leads to the NEXT ridiculous fucking question: with the high weight and bulk of drywall coupled with its cheap price and complex handling requirements, how did it become economically viable to ship it from China?

[kristopher]

56. Fly ash is a primary source of gypsum - everywhere. It is easy to verify.

Just google "gypsum sources"

[jmowreader]

58. Thanks...

Then again, this is from Ohio State University:

Synthetic Gypsum

Synthetic gypsum is produced at some coal-fired power plants as a by-product of pollution control measures. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 mandate that electrical utilities install systems for removal (“scrubbing”) of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gases that are generated during the burning of coal. The resulting materials are termed flue gas desulfurization (FGD) by-products. Depending on the process, these by-products can have a variety of mineral constituents. The forced oxidation procedure used at the W.H. Zimmer Station in Moscow, Ohio, results in a high purity product (Table 1), and the material is marketed as synthetic gypsum.

In the process used at Zimmer Station, the flue gases are first exposed to a slurry of hydrated lime, and calcium sulfite (CaSO3•0.5H2O) is initially formed by capture of SO2 (Figure 2). The calcium sulfite is then oxidized to form gypsum. During the oxidation process, washing of the by-product with water removes undesirable chemical contaminants such as boron (B) and mercury (Hg). The final step of the process involves partial removal of water by a combination of centrifugation and vacuum filtration.

Pollution control in CHINA?

Now...fly ash is used in Portland cement as an admixture and it works very well.

[kristopher]

60. How about MIT?

MIT: Dirty coal to blame for China pollution
Posted by Graham Webster

In a rare independent study of China's energy sector, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that the problem with China's coal power generation is not that its power plants lack cleaner technology.

The emissions are definitely higher than they could be, the report found, but the culprit is usually low-quality coal rather than low-tech plants. As an MIT statement explains:

Lower-grade coal, which produces high levels of sulfur emissions, can be obtained locally, whereas the highest-grade anthracite comes mostly from China's northwest and must travel long distances to the plants, adding greatly to its cost.

The researchers gathered their own data instead of relying on Chinese government statistics, which can be unreliable. This may not sound like a big deal, but even large international organizations often, or even primarily, depend on government numbers.

"The kinds of technology currently being adopted in China are not cheap," lead researcher Edward S. Steinfeld said in the statement. "They're not buying junk, and in some cases, the plants are employing state-of-the-art technology."

There could be room for improvement in technology, however. A pilot power plant capable of using carbon-capture technology opened in China in July, and widespread efforts on energy continue. But this MIT report underlines the challenge of cleaning up power generation when the fuel is dirtier than usual.

Link to full MIT study here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13908_3-10064031-59.html?part=rss&subj=news

[conscious evolution]

59. My first thought also.

If it is thinner than required it is a major code violation because of the degredation of its fire stop ability.
That alone makes their drywall dangerous to have in your house.

[DainBramaged]

53. Thanks, it is still a massive problem, as bad as mold

those houses will have to be ripped apart or basically condemned because someone wanted to save a few bucks and cut corners.

[kristopher]

57. LENNAR STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO MEDIA INQUIRIES

LENNAR STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO MEDIA INQUIRIES

December 22, 2008

The following statement is by Lennar Division President Darin McMurray:

“So far, our investigation in Southwest Florida shows that independent subcontractors installed
Chinese drywall in a very small percentage of Lennar homes built between November 2005 and
November 2006.

“Lennar has taken extensive measures to ensure the safety of our homeowners and their
families. Scientific testing shows no indication of any health risks to our homeowners.

“Lennar has been working with our homeowners on long‐term solutions based on the specific
testing of their homes.

“Our first concern is our homeowners. Lennar will continue to stand by our homes and work
closely with homeowners to resolve their concerns.”

FOR BACKGROUND USE

Lennar monitors repair requests in all of our homes as part of our commitment to deliver
quality, value and service. When we noticed that a number of our homes in Southwest Florida
were experiencing problems with air conditioning systems, we began taking a closer look.

After months of careful investigation, we learned that the problem does not always stem from
the air conditioning unit itself, but, in some cases, from the drywall. Some drywall can emit a
naturally occurring sulfur compound that, when it interacts with the copper in the AC coil, can
cause corrosion and lead to failure.

Our investigation revealed that sheets of drywall manufactured in China were installed in some
Lennar homes by independent subcontractors. Lennar did not know that the manufacturers
and subcontractors supplied and installed Chinese drywall until months after the materials had
been installed in our homes.

Lennar hired ENVIRON International, a leading global environmental firm, to conduct extensive
air sampling in more than 50 homes. The environmental scientists and toxicologists at ENVIRON
have confirmed that the presence of sulfur compounds inside the homes is far lower than even
the most stringent government health and safety standards. As a result, there is no indication
that the substances pose any health risks to our homeowners.