Was catching up on the latest and ran across this article
by Dr. Phillp Goad.
"What has been found in drywall?
Re Dr. Richard Lipsey's Feb. 8 article Know symptoms of
toxic-gas exposure: Under my direction, the Center for
Toxicology and Environmental Health has performed air
sampling and examined the results of similar sampling
performed by other organizations on behalf of Lennar.
There are some misleading statements in the article.
First, of the various sulfur compounds mentioned by
Lipsey, only carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide have
been consistently detected. No sulfur dioxide has ever
been detected and hydrogen sulfide only rarely so. We have
also found similar levels of these compounds in homes with
domestic drywall and in outside air samples.
Second, contrary to his statements, the gases hydrogen
sulfide, carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide do
not ''become corrosive sulfuric acid'' when inhaled into
the lungs. These compounds are normally found in the human
body, but sulfuric acid is not a product formed in the
body from these compounds.
Third, Lipsey discussed the formation of sulfuric acid
from sulfur dioxide. However, as mentioned above, we've
never detected sulfur dioxide in any of our testing.
Finally, a discussion about the possible health effects of
chemicals is misleading if it does not point out that
these effects are dependent on the level of chemicals to
which someone is exposed.
The two chemicals we and others have consistently found in
air testing, carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide, were
detected at concentrations below federal and state health
guidelines -- and hundreds to thousands of times lower
than levels shown to cause harm.
The chemicals we identified in our testing are naturally
occurring, being produced from ocean water, salt marshes
and estuaries, soil, vegetation and forests. They also are
normally present in the human body and have been measured
in human breath at higher concentrations than we detected
in our home sampling.
PHILLIP T. GOAD, managing partner and principal
toxicologist, Center for Toxicology and Environmental
Health, North Little Rock, Ark."
Sounds like Dr. Goad slammed the door pretty hard on
Lipsey for spreading hype and misinformation
regarding "toxic" Chinese drywall.
So far, no one has found dangerous levels of sulfur
compounds in any homes tested.
RD
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