MyFloridaCode.com

GOOD MORNING ALL....... This article was found in the tcpalm.com newspaper today... Diva



Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is asking the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate whether Chinese-manufactured drywall is toxic.

The goal, he said, is to get "a clear picture of everyone who might be affected."

"I also want the CPSC to come up with drywall safety standards so no other homeowner will have to deal with a shoddy import," said Nelson, a Democrat.

The letters specifically reference manufacturer Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin. A spokesman for Nelson said other companies are probably associated with the tainted drywall, but KPT is the name that comes up most consistently because it routinely prints its company name on the back of its plasterboard.

The Chinese-made drywall is suspected as the cause of sulfuric gases corroding wires, pipes and even air-conditioning components in Southwest Florida. Recently, homeowners there have reported problems.

It has become enough of a problem that Realtors are beginning to add Chinese drywall to their disclosure forms when buying and selling real estate.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate added a form for Chinese-manufactured drywall disclosure about a month ago, said Mary Anne Rozo, branch manager of the West Palm Beach location.

"Basically, it states that if you're purchasing a house, if drywall may have been put in it, the buyer has the right to seek an inspection as to whether it may be hazardous to your health," Rozo said.

Preliminary studies of the suspect drywall haven't concluded it creates immediate health concerns. However, homeowners have blamed it for allergy-like symptoms, including headaches, dry eyes, tightness in the chest and bloody noses.

The Florida Department of Health is testing drywall to rule out health risks.

Initially, experts dated the problem to 2006, when rebuilds from hurricane damage and a growing housing boom created a shortage of American-made plasterboard.

That has since been revised to include houses that had drywall added between 2004 and early 2007.

Wellington resident James Fallmann, who bought a new home in 2001, said he thinks the problem may actually extend even further.

Nearly every year since then, his air-conditioning coil has failed, and coils are expected to last at least 10 years.

He noticed corrosion on several copper components throughout his house.

After his home was damaged during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, Fallmann said he replaced all the drywall on the first floor. Since then, he hasn't seen any corrosion downstairs. Upstairs, where the original drywall remains, his air-conditioning coil continues to fail.


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