Make no mistake; there are legitimate claims against developers and builders who knowingly used tainted drywall in the construction of new homes. But diagnoses differ about the scope of damage within a particular home, an issue that has more to do with the failure of so-called experts to find this problem in the first place.

Throughout most of this back-and-forth, with attorneys vying for potentially big awards and banks absolving themselves of responsibility against any future litigation, there is another large group vulnerable to the effects of tainted drywall: commercial buildings and facilities. The enclosed questions and answers articulate the gravity of this challenge, while offering information that separates fact from fiction in this ongoing debate.

1. How prevalent is “Chinese drywall” in commercial buildings?

Based on our knowledge concerning typical construction of commercial structures, or most office, retail, or industrial-type buildings, these facilities require fire-rated walls or 5/8 inch-type walls for tenant separation. Commercial structures with the highest risk of exposure or installation of tainted and corrosive drywall or gypsum board are interior finish walls, which are not part of the separation walls (a separate category). Numerous structures are affected or infected, but based on “fresh air exchange” requirements, these structures take longer to show symptoms for several reasons, including: wrongful diagnosis of the telltale signs of tainted drywall. We have a protocol that can be used with no adjustments to confirm and validate the status of commercial structures. (To date, we have a 100 percent accuracy rate identifying tainted and corrosive drywall.)

2. What constitutes an official “outbreak” of Chinese drywall in a commercial building? Numerous symptoms indicate an outbreak, including:

• Discolored or blackening of copper components, copper piping, HVAC coil components.

• Silver mirror backing deterioration, sulfur or rotten egg vapor odors, excessive light bulb failures, tripped circuits and smoke detector false alarms are all warning signs that require forensic analysis to confirm tainted drywall.

3. How should facilities treat this issue?

It may seem trite, but it goes without saying that facility managers and operators need to take this issue seriously. Failure to properly identify tainted and corrosive drywall, or refusal to follow the right course of treatment, could make the problem worse. That tactic jeopardizes the safety of the building and risks the health of people who work there, too.

4. What specific treatment options should facility managers endorse?

By way of example, I always perform a Chinese Drywall Analysis (CDA) to determine whether a structure has a problem. If the diagnosis is terminal, or infection is rampant, we recommend the AbissoCleanse Treatment System. This option is the only one-step, simple, non-toxic, green, fieldtested, EPA registered and laboratory- approved application that works. It also eliminates mold, mildew, and mold spores on contact, since these problems are often found during the abatement process.

5. How do these treatment plans differ from the so-called industry standard?

It is important to exceed the industry standard or “Interim CPSC Guidelines,” and clearly meet or surpass Multiple District Litigation (MDL) rules established by a judge’s decree. Those standards should be the minimum rule or goal when addressing the severity of this problem.

Please note: we issued our own protocol (12/2008) that required ALL electrical low and high voltage wires be replaced, not simply cut back or cleaned, due to “life safety” issues that the federal government later recognized as essential (3/2010).

We further believe the AbissoCleanse Treatment is paramount, because with a HEPA vacuum it is impossible to clean all surfaces on a construction project due to texture, quantity of dust material, amount of airborne particles and the locations of these numerous settlement-type areas like shelves, tops of studs and tops of wall track systems.

6. How are tenants affected by an outbreak?

People suffer from tainted drywall in different ways, but in each case, it is important to take a personal inventory of this problem and speak with a doctor or health care professional as individual circumstances dictate treatment options.

7. What impact does this treatment have on the day-to-day operations of a building?

The AbissoCleanse Treatment plan corresponds to the severity of the problem, on the one hand, and the size of the building on the other. Again, everything starts with an accurate diagnosis, followed by a plan of attack that is effective and performed by genuine professionals, with post-treatment testing to validate this process.

8. What ways are there to improve this issue, i.e., education, research, treatment, etc.?

I believe it is imperative to do an on-site explanation, presentation, and demonstration, with a live question-and-answer session that enables people to learn about this issue. I have hosted several of these events, and the educational benefits for attendees are numerous.

9. What is the biggest error/mistake when it comes to treating this topic?

Think of the proverbial ostrich with its head-in-the-ground syndrome, where denial is the ruling emotion. This reaction is a sad but true example among some people who do not want to acknowledge the gravity of this issue or ways to resolve this problem.

10. How prevalent is this phenomenon in commercial buildings?

Tainted drywall is more common in commercial buildings and facilities than the public can imagine. And yet, we think of this problem as something more of a challenge for homeowners. Yes, the issue for homeowners is substantial; but fighting this culprit on one front should not come at the expense of neglecting its prevalence in office buildings, schools, public facilities and other major outlets.

11. What is a good case study of how to successfully handle this issue?

We recently completed numerous residential AbissoCleanse Treatment projects, so the model to emulate is clear: follow the standards described above, while avoiding any suspect individuals who lack the experience or the actual tools to address this matter, ask questions, request completed treatment clients and perform the necessary due diligence. This advice exists for a reason: to properly protect commercial buildings and facilities, so safety is real and people can return to work. I live by that admonition. ❑ Michael S. Foreman is the principal of Foreman and Associates, Inc., full service construction consultants who provide project specific protocols for corrective repair and treatment of tainted and corrosive drywall, commonly referred to as Chinese drywall.