New Orleans Louisiana Real Estate and Community Blog 

Those three words, contaminated Chinese drywall, strike fear in every homeowner in the New Orleans or surrounding area who underwent renovations following Katrina. Although there is a lot we don’t know about Chinese drywall and its ultimate fate in the legal system, we do know a few things about it that might be of help as you navigate this tricky and dangerous issue.

Currently we know the following:

• The Federal Government has no guidelines for the chemical composition of drywall.
  
  
• Most contaminated Chinese drywall was used between 2004 and 2008
  
  
• Most claims are emerging from Florida and Louisiana. With multiple hurricanes in 2004 in Florida and 2 hurricanes in Louisiana in 2005, the majority of contaminated Chinese drywall was shipped to those areas.
  
  
• Enough of this drywall was imported to complete 35,000 homes. It was often used with non-contaminated American drywall, therefore, the impact to homeowners, is much greater than the 35,000 number indicates.
  
  
• Not all Chinese drywall is contaminated.
  
  
• Chinese drywall is labeled PRC for the People’s Republic of China, but again not all Chinese drywall is contaminated.
  
  
• Nobody knows where this drywall was used. There is no paper trail.
  
  
• The contaminated drywall did not make it into retail establishments such as Lowe’s or Home Depot; however, again, a number of contractors used drywall from many different sources in many different homes so we are unclear where it was used and by whom.
  
  
• Contaminated Chinese drywall contains elevated amounts of sulphur which in a gas form is slowly released over time.
  
  
• High temperatures and high humidity will affect the release of these gases.
  
  
• The smell of rotten eggs is one indicator of contaminated Chinese drywall, but a homeowner may become desensitized to this smell as time passes. An air condition system will also lessen this smell of rotten eggs.
  
  
• Another indicator of contaminated drywall is the corrosion of metals such as copper wiring, copper A/C coils, nails, televisions, and any electronics.
  
  
• Health risks such as headaches, eye irritation, skin irritation, nausea, and respiratory problems can be an indicator of contaminated drywall.
  
  
• A normal home inspection does not evaluate for contaminated Chinese drywall.
  
  
• There is a separate screening process for contaminated Chinese drywall by several reputable home inspectors, such as Gurtler Bros. here in N.O. At a cost of $450 for a 2,000 square foot home, the process involves several different inspections including examination of every outlet in the home, examination of the ac unit, interviewing the current homeowner, and multiple other processes.
  
  
• Litigation is ongoing as there has been no determination by a judge what tests are required or what proof is needed to determine damages by contaminated Chinese drywall.
  
  
• Websites that may help you stay current on contaminated Chinese drywall issues are:
  

www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html

www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html

The use of contaminated Chinese drywall in renovating homes throughout our area following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina has proven a difficult path both financially and emotionally that we are being forced to deal with. Hopefully this information can be of benefit.

Posted by:Carol-Jean Dixon