WHAT IS CHINESE DRYWALL?

       By now many Florida residents are aware of the Chinese drywall issues that have plagued homeowners over the past decade, but here's a recap. From 2001 through 2009, toxic Chinese Chinese Drywall was imported to the U.S.A. from China and installed in homes and businesses nationwide.

Toxic Chinese Drywall came to Florida from China during the real estate boom. It has also been found in 48 states, but ground zero seems to be South West Florida. Chinese drywall is chemically defective plasterboard (also called Chinese sheetrock or gypsum board) that was imported from China to U.S.A. builders and subcontractors, most of it between the years 2003 through 2008. It is important to point out that home owners with recently built or remodeled homes/ condominiums may be living with toxic fumes and dangerous chemicals being released from their drywall. Getting your drywall tested is an important first step. And can be vital to keeping your family healthy and comfortable in your home.

If your home was built or remodeled in the past decade, particularly between the years 2003 to 2008, you may be a victim of the Chinese drywall debacle that has affected an estimated 400,000 - 600,000 consumers to date and growing !

The catalyst for this was primarily the real estate boom and the Hurricanes of 2004-2005 in the Southeastern U.S.A., which created a shortage of domestically produced drywall for construction and reconstruction. To fill the need, drywall was imported from China, and at the time, there was no reason to suspect any inherent danger in this product.

The Chinese manufacturers of these walls, whether through negligence or deliberate cost-cutting practices, produced inferior plasterboard that was found to emit sulfuric compounds throughout the buildings in which they were installed. These sulfuric gases move insidiously and invisibly throughout each building's interior, damaging the structural integrity of metals within the home and adversely affecting the health of people and pets as well.

Upon extensive Chinese drywall testing by Chinese Drywall Specialist, the U.S. government and other entities, it was determined that these maladies were caused by corrosive levels of hydrogen sulfide emitted from the drywall.