The results are in from a two-day symposium held in Florida: while it is certainly defective, Chinese drywall poses no harm to human health. The symposium, held as a joint effort between the state department of health and the University of Florida, wrapped up two weeks ago.

Experts from the federal government, university professors, and research scientists all weighed in on the contentious issue. Speakers included members of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the toxicologist for the state health department, and others in the private sector, like Phil Goad, Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health. Goad studied the effects of the drywall for Knauf Tianjin, a manufacturer of the defective drywall, and found no evidence that the product posed any risk to human health.

The drywall, imported between 2004 and 2007, releases a malodorous compound that is corrosive to pipes, wiring, and air conditioning coils. It was assumed that such caustic fumes must pose a risk to human health, but it seems that line of thinking was flawed.

“The answer obviously, well it must be bad for you. Sometimes the obvious is not so obvious,” said Bob DeMott, a toxicologist with Environ.

“We breathe air with corrosive properties all the time,” DeMott explained. “We consume drinks with a corrosively low PH, and we eat foods with the same kinds of reduced sulfur compounds emitted by the drywall — like brussel sprouts,” he said.

Fears had been raised that Chinese drywall might also contain asbestos, a fibrous mineral that can cause mesothelioma and other cancers if inhaled or ingested. Mesothelioma can take decades to develop, but can kill within months of being diagnosed. Barbara Manis, chief medical officer for Building Health Services in Rockville, Maryland, said that to the best of her knowledge, asbestos and other carcinogens were not present in the drywall.

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