Thousands of homes in Florida and throughout the United States that were built between 2004 and 2007, may contain defective drywall imported from China. The Chinese drywall contains dangerously high concentrations of sulfur, which could produce a rotten egg smell, destroy the homes electrical wiring and potentially cause other problems.
STATUS OF DRYWALL CLASS ACTION SUITS: A growing number of defective Chinese drywall lawsuits have been filed in Florida and in other states on behalf of homeowners who have had to remove the drywall throughout their home and replace air conditioning units and other appliances.
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Learn MoreOVERVIEW: During the home construction boom between 2004 and 2006, a limited supply of drywall manufactured in the United States led many home builders to use drywall imported from China.
Millions of pound of defective drywall was imported from China, which could have been used throughout the United States in as many as 300,000 recently built homes.
These homeowners may be required to have every piece of drywall throughout their home removed and replaced at great expense. In some cases, the wodden frame of the home itself may have become permeated with the airborne sulfuric acid and smell of rotten eggs.
High levels of sulfur emitted by the drywall may also corrode the electrical wiring throughout the home and destroy air conditioning units and other appliances. Potential health concerns have also been linked to the drywall, such as insomnia, nosebleeds, headaches and breathing difficulties.
DEFECTIVE DRYWALL PROBLEMS: The defective drywall imported from China was made with fly ash residue, which is a waste material captured from chimneys of coal-fired power plants. The sheets contain sulfur compounds, which could cause homeowners to experience drywall problems if it becomes exposed to moisture or humidity.
Problems with the drywall could include:
- Smell of Rotten Eggs
- Failure of the Home’s Air Conditioning Units
- Corroded Electrical Wiring
- Siilver Jewelry or Piping Turning Black
Potential health concerns that could also be linked to the defective drywall from China include:
- Respiratory Irritation
- Headacches
- Eye Irritation
- Nose Bleeds
- Coughing or Difficulty Breathing
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10 Comments
MillardOctober 28, 2010 at 5:54 am
I built my 2200 s/f home, using Lowes as my primary material source, beginning in 2002 with large additions in 2004-2005 and 2006-2007, of which I have receipts for all expenses. In the past 2 years I have noticed lines on joists, studs and light boxes which I have never seen before. We have had numerous issues with smells through out the home. My family has experienced multiple respiratory iss[Show More]I built my 2200 s/f home, using Lowes as my primary material source, beginning in 2002 with large additions in 2004-2005 and 2006-2007, of which I have receipts for all expenses. In the past 2 years I have noticed lines on joists, studs and light boxes which I have never seen before. We have had numerous issues with smells through out the home. My family has experienced multiple respiratory issues, headaches and multiple hemorraging nosebleeds requiring hospitalization, all with no obvious cause. We just recently learned of the defective drywall from yet another Lowes receipt. Could it be possible these health issues are a result of toxics from the drywall?
DaveSeptember 1, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Now, the news of Chinese Drywall is getting bad! 11 infants have died from being in homes with CDW. What is it going to take to make the people understand this is serious? Now, i ask when is the case going to be heard in LA and when is the judge going to pay us to fix the homes we live in. This home was brand new when we moved in. Someone help us and stop the innocent killings of these precious c[Show More]Now, the news of Chinese Drywall is getting bad! 11 infants have died from being in homes with CDW. What is it going to take to make the people understand this is serious? Now, i ask when is the case going to be heard in LA and when is the judge going to pay us to fix the homes we live in. This home was brand new when we moved in. Someone help us and stop the innocent killings of these precious children! This is a sickening area to talk about
LauraJanuary 30, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I thought it was "in my head" when we moved into our home in 2004 and spent the next five years sick. Constant colds. Our house had been remodeled in 2002 by the previous owners, and I replaced the a/c in 2006. The next year the coils inside were completely broken. While surprised, the a/c company says it sometimes happens. They are now corroded again and I have other symptoms of Chinese Dry [Show More]I thought it was "in my head" when we moved into our home in 2004 and spent the next five years sick. Constant colds. Our house had been remodeled in 2002 by the previous owners, and I replaced the a/c in 2006. The next year the coils inside were completely broken. While surprised, the a/c company says it sometimes happens. They are now corroded again and I have other symptoms of Chinese Dry Wall. I have read a lot of sites and the comments all seem to accuse those of us who are experiencing this are looking to get rich or get out of upside down loans. I think most of us just want to not be poisoned or replace our a/c units once a year. But I also hear that if you find that you DO have the chinese drywall, insurance companies are dropping you!!! What to do! I suppose I will use a company that claims they can test for this?
LynnJanuary 25, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I can understand what you are going through, Terri. My husband was recently diagnosed with asthma as well. My son and I had nose bleeds, headaches etc. We have a dog and even her coat smelled of rotten eggs from tainted drywall. We rented this house for 1 year but our landlord did not ever ask us about our health just rent. He did not even tell us to move out and break the lease, so we stayed[Show More]I can understand what you are going through, Terri. My husband was recently diagnosed with asthma as well. My son and I had nose bleeds, headaches etc. We have a dog and even her coat smelled of rotten eggs from tainted drywall. We rented this house for 1 year but our landlord did not ever ask us about our health just rent. He did not even tell us to move out and break the lease, so we stayed. We dd not want to have him come after us later on with a lawsuit for none payment of rent. We even told him about the defective drywall and still he did nothing to help us. So needlessness to say, we were very upset and frustrated. The government needs to do something about this especially when the CPSC is not mentioning healths issue.
josephNovember 23, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Have the sales of this drywall been stopped? Is it still in inventories in the U.S.? Is it still coming in? One last question,Is there a test for this problem?
JamesJune 5, 2009 at 3:46 am
I have cough more than ever in my life the past six months. I just found out that the condo that I am renting has Chinese Drywall.
genniesMay 25, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I BOUGHT ONE OF THE HOUSE THAT WAS BUILTED IN 2006. WE MOVED IN THE HOUSE ON NOV,07. WE JUST FOUND OUT IT WAS BUILT WITH THE CHINESE DRYWALL. WE HAVE BEEN GET VERY SICK.
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TerriMarch 30, 2009 at 1:11 pm
We had our home built in 5005-2006 in Erie, Pennsyvania. However, we have had nothing but problem health wise since we moved in and had trouble with our electronic equipment also, including having to buy new microwaves and dryers air conditiioners and our children have been diagnosed with asthma and skin condition and it doesn't end there. We've been having roof problem and the company hasn;t be[Show More]We had our home built in 5005-2006 in Erie, Pennsyvania. However, we have had nothing but problem health wise since we moved in and had trouble with our electronic equipment also, including having to buy new microwaves and dryers air conditiioners and our children have been diagnosed with asthma and skin condition and it doesn't end there. We've been having roof problem and the company hasn;t been helping to fix them. We have only lived in our house a little over three yrs, things like this are uncalled for and I'm going to protect our six sick children the best I can.