Defective Chinese Drywall

Recent and ongoing reports confirm that at least 100,000 homes in 14 US states have been contaminated with defective and corrosive drywall from China.  This Chinese drywall was installed in homes between 2001 and 2007.   Defective Chinese drywall wreaks havoc on both the human body and the home.  Please read on to learn more about Chinese drywall, its negative effects, how to look for it, and what to do if you suspect your home has Chinese drywall. 

What is Chinese drywall? 

Some drywall imported to the US from China is defective, emitting foul smelling gases that corrode copper and other metal surfaces and make people sick.  This defective drywall often has no identifying markings, making it difficult to tell by the labeling if your drywall is affected.  The affected drywall can come in different sizes, including those measuring ½”, 5/8” and 1”. 

A prevailing hypothesis is that the tainted drywall was manufactured in gypsum mines in China and that these mines used fly ash, a waste material that is a byproduct from power plants using coal.  Coal fly ash can leak into the air and emit sulfur compounds.  Others believe that bacteria in the drywall are corroding the materials thus causing them to emit sulfur. 

Chinese drywall sample testing has shown these products to contain strontium sulfide (which is a known constituent of coal fly ash), carbon disulfide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, which are all highly toxic chemicals that can cause serious harm to the body and the home. 

What are the effects of defective Chinese drywall? 

Defective Chinese drywall causes serious harm to both humans and home.  In the home, defective Chinese drywall corrodes and destroys electrical systems, air conditioning systems, and other metals throughout the home. 

The toxic compounds in defective drywall can affect bone growth in children.  Furthermore, long-term exposure can cause harm to the liver, skin, cardiovascular system, central nervous system, eyes, and kidneys.

The following health problems have been reported in connection to defective Chinese drywall:
           
acne, asthma attacks, bloody nose breathing difficulty, coughing, dizziness,     fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, hives, irritated eyes, nausea,         nosebleeds, phlegm, rashes, runny nose, shortness of breath, sneezing, sinus     problems, sore throat, and  urinary tract infections.

Do You Have Defective Chinese Drywall In Your Home?

Is your new Florida home filled with the odor of rotten eggs? Have you had to pay for frequent repairs on your home’s air conditioning system, wiring or pipes? Have you and members of your family experienced irritated eyes, respiratory problems, nose bleeds and headaches that alleviate when you are away from your Florida home for a period of time? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a victim of defective Chinese drywall.

Hundreds of homeowners have reported these problems in new Florida homes built with dry wall imported from China. The lawyers at our firm are investigating potential lawsuits against the companies, builders and manufacturers responsible for these Chinese drywall problems. If your dream home has become a nightmare because of defective Chinese drywall, we urge you to call our office immediately for a free evaluation of your case.

How can you determine if your home has Chinese drywall? 

A handful of methods can help to determine if your home has defective Chinese drywall.  For example, you can carefully examine electrical wiring that could have blackened due to drywall corrosion.  It is important to be very careful when handling electrical wires, as touching them can result in shock, especially if the wires have been damaged.  Also, defective Chinese drywall emits a sulfur smell akin to rotten eggs or ammonia.  However, it is possible that defective drywall will not emit this foul smell. 

It is important to have your home inspected if you believe it may contain defective and harmful Chinese drywall. 

Companies Involved in Chinese Drywall Disaster

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. of China is one manufacturer implicated so far in the dry wall disaster. Knauf has insisted that the drywall problems are confined to Florida, but our firm has become aware of similar reports coming out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Despite health complaints, the company maintains that the rotten egg odor coming out of its drywall poses no dangers.  Knauf is also insisting that the damage done to air conditioning and electrical wiring is the result of drywall made by some other company – though it has been unable to name which one.

Lennar Corp., the nation’s second-largest builder by volume, reportedly built many Florida homes afflicted with Chinese dry wall problems.  According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Lennar is testing, and continues to test, a dozen of its Florida developments and has shared results with the state health department.  The company has relocated several families in order to rip out and replace the drywall in their homes.

Other builders, suppliers and manufacturers are likely involved in this debacle.

We are currently not aware of any definitive test to determine if a home has problem drywall. Nevertheless, you might consider contacting your homebuilder to ask about the materials used in construction.

Consumers raising concerns about drywall have typically identified a “rotten egg” smell within their house, several health symptoms while in the home, and corrosion or blackening of certain metal items. Consumers have also reported frequent failures of copper piping in air conditioning units.