Question from Sandy
We may have to put new sheetrock on a bedroom wall. Do you find sheetrock, tapping and mudding that would have to be done, to be inert as far as bothering those with EI.
Thanks
Sandy
Debra’s Answer
I can tell you that I have installed many walls with ordinary sheetrock, tape and mud, and never had a problem with it.
Some people with MCS prefer using Murco products, but these need to be ordered by mail. They are totally fine, I just in the past haven’t had time for a special order, and found that once the mud dries and it is painted there is no odor.
The concern with regular sheetrock is that it is susceptible to mold growth. Some alternatives that are more resistant magnesium oxide boards such as Dragonboard and MagBoard.
There are a multitude of potential additives to both synthetic and non-synthetic drywall, not only does every brand have different ingredients, but batches of the same product can vary. Besides the synthetic forms, using the Flue Gas Desulferization processes, the synthetic ones are also more likely to have higher amounts of mercury (a highly toxic substance that is not a VOC, VOCs are not the only problem, and there are precursers to VOCs that are not included in the VOC ratings some products are required to have). Formaldehyde is in some brands, as are a multitude of potential other ingredients. It’s not a very regulated product, although some improvement has happened.
It’s really best to dig into researching deeply before responding, as people are seeking information they can count on (granted, not an easy task).
what is clean, healthy materials to put on walls inside for finishing them up when building new house?
also, what clean, healthy paints do you recommend?
I use sheetrock, you could also use lath & plaster.
See Paints page of Debra’s List for recommended paints.
How long does drywall offgas formaldehyde? Is it so dangerous after 4 years?
Also, how long do cabinets offgas formaldehyde? Can these offgas for 4 years and still cause cancer in children?
Drywall should not offgas formaldehyde at all. If it is defective and contains formaldehyde, it should be removed. It’s likely your drywall is not outgassing formaldehyde, but if you are concerned, get a formaldehyde test kit and find out.
If the cabinets are made of particleboard, they will outgas for years. Again, I suggest you get a formaldehyde test kit and find out what’s really going on.
If you decide to use drywall, buy a much ahead of time as possible to let it air & check how it smells to you before installing. One way of testing is to put a sample in a clean glass jar with a lid and let stand in a sunny area for several hours before opening and sniffing. Be aware that the odor will be greatly magnified when it is an entire wall or walls. For many of us it takes a year OR MORE to outgas enough to use.
Many types of drywall contain mold inhibitors, fiberglass, and other additives and chemicals that are harmful to people’s health. I used ToughRock Gypsum Board (without additives like mold inhibitors) and Murco mud, then painted with a light shade of AFM Safecoat Paint (darker shades are low VOC but light colors are often no VOC).
I called up Home Depot – where we had just bought drywall yesterday, and the manager checked with his supplier. All the California Home Depots use natural gypsum mined in Mexico, and their drywall is Greenguard certified. He said he thought it was the East Coast that used the synthetic stuff.
We are going to have to replace some drywall in our house, and in my research about drywall, I found some disturbing information that has me a little concerned. Apparently, about half of the gypsum that is being used in drywall is synthetic gypsum, using a process called FGD, which can offgass vapors. Even the same brands of drywall can vary, based on the area of the country you live in, so therefore the plant that it’s delivered from. I’m still researching, but realizing that all drywall may not be so inert.
Oh great! Thanks for alerting us.
Just looked this up.
FGD Gypsum is a synthetic gypsum derived from flue gas desulfurization systems at electric power plants. It’s the sulfur removed from scrubbers at coal-fired power plants. This is considered to be an “environmentally-friendly application.” Not to me it isn’t.
The term “synthetic gypsum” is used to refer to materials produced by a variety of industrial processes in addition to FGD gypsum, including
* phosphogypsum, (a byproduct of processing phosphate ore to make phosphoric acid)
* titanogypsum (a byproduct from the production of titanium dioxide)
* fluorogypsum (a byproduct from the production of hydrofluoric acid from fluorspar) and
* citrogyspum (a byproduct of citric acid production).
Here’s a list of products that are using FGD Gypsum: http://www.fgdproducts.org/GypsumApplications.htm
And lawsuits have been brought against manufacturers of drywall that contain synthetic gypsum.
American-Made Drywall Emerges as a Potential Danger
Here’s what the EPA has to say: Evaluation of Encapsulated Beneficial Uses:Fly Ash Concrete and FGD Gypsum Wallboard Frequent Questions
OK, so now when you purchase drywall, be sure it’s 100% gypsum, no synthetic gypsum.
How does one find out if drywall is off-gassing toxins? What are the symptoms one suffers from toxic drywall? We replaced some drywall several years ago and I got headaches while drywall was being installed. I thought it was from the dust caused by installing it. However, I have been having headaches a lot and wonder if I should have this drywall tested for toxic type. Is testing possible to determine what kind of drywall we have?
Toxic drywall is totally new to me. You might have any symptoms if you are chemically sensitive. If you painted it, then the chemicals from the paint might still be there too. I’m not sure what you would test for. Do you remember the brand or where you bought it? I think it’s time to do a little research and find out which brands have synthetic gypsum and which don’t. Anyone want to help me with this?
Gypsum drywall from Home Depot is considered to be a lung carcinogen and chemically toxic. It is made from crystalline quartz and other things. I just put some in the dust is very dangerous a hazard. Thanks Home Depot.
Wait, wait, wait. While the dust may be a dangerous hazard, it’s only a hazard when the drywall is cut and creates dust. It’s the dust that is hazardous, not the drywall itself.
Drywall installed on a wall and painted will not release crystalline quartz. It does not outgas into the air.
Your installed sheetrock is fine.
Do an internet search. There was a lot of drywall being sold in the USA recently (can’t say exactly when or if it was taken off the market) that was imported from China and very toxic. You should always ask if any construction materials are imported from China because they don’t have any regard for safety at all and only thing they care about is making a buck.
That has been taken off the market some time ago.
Drywall or sheetrock is made from gypsum stones found in the desert so it is very inert and not very toxic at all, then the drywall is encased in paper on both sides, once again not very harmful. Drywall mud does contain several unhealthy VOC’s used as solvents to keep it moist and soft while it is being applied. As the VOC solvents dry the mud hardens. But the amount of mud is not much in most cases so I imagine that you should be perfectly fine as long as you are not holding your face unusually close to the mud as you apply it.
Reasonable ventilation while applying the drywall mud would be very advisable. Open a few doors or windows and turn on a bathroom fan or two.
During indoor air quality investigations in South Fl I have had plenty of calls re odors and health complaints attributable to new paint application, new furniture, and to manufacturing processes, and printing press processes, but in 11 years I haven ever had a complaint related to new drywall or drywall mud.
My husband and I build custom homes that focus on indoor air quality. Anyone concerned about sheetrock or any building products can find many resources on http://www.greenguard.org
Our doctor in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who is one of the top environmental doctors strongly advises patients to use non-toxic sheetrock. He has a family member who is also a custom home builder and is familiar with the products that should and should not be used. He states that traditional sheetrock is a problem.
We recently built a new home for ourselves and used sheetrock, sheetrock mud, and texture from a company listed on the GreenGuard website. We look for Green Guard certified for “children and schools” which is their highest certification level. In contrast with many “green” or even “LEED” certified companies, GreenGuard is against “greenwashing” and their certification process is stringent.
We had to special order the GreenGuard certified sheetrock through the contractor section at Home Depot, but it only took a few days. I do not believe Home Depot requires verification of contractor status, but you can become your own “contractor” for purposes of your project at your own home.
Of course, you’ll want to use paint that is no-VOC on top of that sheetrock, and I am sure Debra has suggestions on which paint to use. We have our preferences on this too. Between the sheetrock, paint, cabinets, etc. our new home has never smelled like a new home, and we are healthy and happy here.
We live in ft worth and are trying to build a non toxic home as much as possible bc of our kids sensitivities. I would love the name of the dr and builder please.
When we built our house 30 years ago, we used Murco. It worked just fine. The only problem we had was actually getting it delivered. Because we ordered so much, it was a heavy order and put in the very front of the truck, the last order to be delivered. When it was time to quit, the driver went back to his home base with our mud still on the truck. It took many days and phone calls before it actually arrived on our doorstep. I hope policies have changed since that time.