Florida Drywall Testing Seeks Information on Health Side Effects
According to a statement released Friday, the Florida Health Department has started testing to identify and assess the potential health effects that may be caused by defective Chinese drywall. Thousands of homes throughout the state built since 2003 may contain plasterboard that has been found to emit gases that are corroding metals and could be causing health problems for residents.
Florida homeowners with drywall imported from China have reported that their plasterboard has begun to emit strong smells of rotten or spoiled eggs caused by high levels of sulfur compounds in the materials used to make the drywall.
When exposed to high heat or humidity, the Chinese drywall in Florida has been found to release carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide. These fumes corrode electrical wiring and other metals throughout the home, destroying air conditioner coils and other appliances.
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Learn MoreA number of homeowners have also complained about health problems allegedly caused by the Florida drywall, including respiratory irritation, head aches, eye irritation, nose bleeds, asthma, coughing and difficulty breathing.
Earlier this month, Florida Governor Charlie Crist asked for federal assistance assessing the growing potential health issue posed by the Florida drywall problems. In a letter sent to the CDC and EPA, Governor Crist indicated that a preliminary assessment of 12 homes confirmed the presence of sulfur compounds which could pose a health hazard at sufficient concentrations.
An estimated 35,000 homes throughout Florida may contain defective drywall, and the air quality tests necessary to determine if there are health hazards for residents are complex and ground breaking in nature.
In a separate development late last week, state Senator Dave Aronberg asked Gov. Crist to form a task force to address the Florida drywall problems and suggest new laws that could be enacted during an emergency session of the state Legislature over the summer.
Sen. Aronberg stressed the importance of having a statewide policy for dealing with the Chinese plasterboard so that there are not conflicting standards from local governments.
At least 265 Florida drywall complaints have been filed with the state Health Department and a growing number of Chinese drywall lawsuits have also been filed throughout Florida and other states where the plasterboard was used to build homes, such as Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
As many as 300,000 homes nationwide could be impacted by the defective drywall problems.
3 Comments
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Unsatisfied CustomerApril 22, 2012 at 11:23 am
Rick Hollister is no expert. Avoid at all costs.
BradApril 22, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Our laboratory offers Chinese drywall testing that holds up in court using advance infrared imaging analysis for $159/sample. For more information visit Chinese Drywall Test Info or call us at 1-866-547-1727. Our main laboratory site is AssuredBio.com
Rick HollisterApril 21, 2009 at 12:32 am
We have not yet agreed on the analytical testing yet. We have not even determined the remedial scope or protocols to clean this mess up. Good luck getting any money out of the Chinese companies. Then there are the insurance companies some of the contractors and distributors are not even covered for this so the insurance companies will say. We do not know what long term damage to the health or the [Show More]We have not yet agreed on the analytical testing yet. We have not even determined the remedial scope or protocols to clean this mess up. Good luck getting any money out of the Chinese companies. Then there are the insurance companies some of the contractors and distributors are not even covered for this so the insurance companies will say. We do not know what long term damage to the health or the property is going to be. Too many questions still unanswered, I have met with some of the top experts in the IAQ field from around the country in the last month and as an environmental investigator and consultant for 15 years, I think we have a long road ahead of us. Class action suites may not be the answer for all home owners. Each case has its different challenges to fit the scope of class action. It may be more practical and cost effective to just file individual lawsuits against the manufacturer and distributors of the Chinese Drywall for violation of product liability statutes and state consumer fraud statutes, and against builders and contractors for negligence and breach of express and implied warranties. Beware of guarantee solution to fixing the problem i.e. fogs, foam, sprays hell we don't even know if this stuff has embedded into the wooden substrates in the wall. We have been getting calls from Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana Virginia Beach Va, and Mississippi. We now have evidence of possible fraud we can probable link back to the manufacture or distributors. We would be interested in hearing from people experiencing Chinese Sheetrock problems every case seems to have different details and precursors. We are putting a team of experts together to tackle the long term effects and to opine on the scope and protocols to properly remediate the homes and all the effected personal property. Rick Hollister CEI, CMR, CLI 850-528-4135 Environmental Administrators, Inc Tallahassee, Fl. rhollister@environmentaladministrators.com