Chinese drywall mayhem

Armin and Lisa Seifart and their two children moved in to their renovated Coconut Grove home and were never informed that  Chinese drywall was used, said Erwin Gonzalez their attorney. A Florida Jury has just awarded $2.4 million in first Chinese Drywall case tried.

What effects on your health does Chinese Drywall pose? Some of the health concerns and health problems reported include an array of respiratory problems, nosebleeds, irritated eyes, and headaches.  Of very serious concern is the possibility that the Chinese Drywall is emitting excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide fumes, which can cause extreme irritation, unconsciousness, and even death.

Do you know if your home has Chinese drywall? Follow the steps below to do a mini-test to find out:

• Start by removing the switch plate covers around your home. Any place where you have a light switch or outlet will do. There will be a bare copper wire inside the box under the plastic cover. If you can see the bare shiny copper, your house most likely does not contain Chinese drywall. However, if the copper wire is blackened, this is a sign that your house contains toxic Chinese drywall.
• Check your circuit breaker, often found in the basement or garage of your home. Again, look at the bare copper wires in the box. Shiny copper is a sign of no toxic Chinese drywall, but blackened copper means you very well may have toxic Chinese drywall in your home.
• Try to get a look at the back side of the drywall in your home. This can be accomplished by going up the attic and looking at the backside of the ceiling drywall, or in a crawl through or other place in your home that exposes the backside of drywall. Look for the words “Knauf”, “Knauf Tiajin” or “Made in China” on the back of the drywall. Any of these is an indication that you may have toxic Chinese drywall in your home.
• Lastly, consider getting either a home inspection, or a less expensive and more convenient alternative, a Chinese drywall testing kit. A good kit is available from www.ChineseDrywallTesterKit.com. This will allow you to test your own home for the presence of toxic Chinese drywall.