Florida homeowners are slowly becoming aware that their homes could damage their health. Anyone in Florida who had their home built or majorly renovated between 2004 and 2007 may want to be on the lookout for a rotten egg smell in their homes.

This smell is the result of a mixture of noxious gases being emitted from imported Chinese drywall that was used during this time. It is believed that the materials used in the construction of the drywall boards have excess levels of hydrogen sulfide which is emitted as a gas and exhibits the rotten egg smell now synonymous with this situation.

Drywall is a common building material that is used to made partition walls within a home. It is used in both new construction and renovations where the interior layout of a home is altered or rooms are added. It is usually made of plaster made of gypsum which is placed between two sheets of touch paper and baked in a kiln. Normally this material is used thousands of times a day across the world without any problems whatsoever. The issues are only with a specific imported drywall shipped over from China.

Drywall is normally supplied domestically by US based companies and is sufficient for almost all building needs within the country. The years 2004 to 2007 saw numerous hurricanes, including Katrina, and a housing boom which saw a massive increase in construction across the board. This led to a materials shortage which was plugged by importing from China. There was no clue about the possibly lethal ingredients in the drywall at the time, it only became apparent after investigations were carried out on properties where families were becoming ill for no apparent reason.

Investigations are still ongoing as the situation evolves. While it is strongly believed that the imported drywall is the cause of the problems, certainly investigations so far indicate it as the cause, there has yet to be an official response from either the government or the suppliers of the material.
It is advised that anyone smelling a rotten egg odor in their home, or suffering any unexplained illnesses like asthma, nosebleeds, eye irritation, ear infections and various other problems contact their doctor immediately. If the home was built or renovated between 2004 and 2007 it is also advised to have your home checked by a professional, who can perform environmental tests to see if your home contains the suspect material.

If the test is positive then you will need to contact the building contractor and advise them as well as insurers. Repairing the problem can involved extensive building work, especially if the house was built from it.

There are currently various lawsuits directed at the companies who produced the drywall as well as individual ones against constructions companies. The construction firms themselves have suits against the suppliers citing “provision of a defective product.”

While the economic damage caused by this issue is fairly straightforward to prove. The emotional and health issues related to it are not.

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