Florida Resident Sickened by Chinese Drywall Forced from Home

Lauderhill, FLHer name is Eleanor Aguilar and Chinese drywall chased her out of her own home. Her townhouse in Lauderhill, Florida, was built with defective China drywall from Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin. The defective drywall compromised her health as well as her appliances—and now her home will take three months to remediate.

But at least it's getting done. According to CNN.com on February 8, Knauf announced a year ago that it would renovate, on its own dime, any home with defective drywall that was built with its product.

The Chinese drywall problems stem from elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide contained within plasterboard imported from China at a time when building demands, together with the impact of Hurricane Katrina exhausted the normally robust supply of American-made drywall.

The hydrogen sulfide, in addition to making occupants ill, turned copper wiring black and impacted the coils in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. To that end, it is the position of the Consumer Products Safety Commission that to properly remediate a home, all problematic drywall would have to be completely removed. In addition, all electrical components, wiring, smoke alarms, fire suppression systems and natural gas pipelines should be replaced in order to properly eradicate all issues pertaining to the defective Chinese drywall.

Aguilar reported that she had spent thousands of dollars to replace televisions, computers, printers and other components that failed without warning against a backdrop of a home that smelled like rotten eggs most of the time.

The most grievous aspect, Aguilar reports, is the impact to her health. The Florida resident suffered from migraines, nosebleeds and upper respiratory problems. After her doctor recommended that she move out of her home, her health improved.

Drywall problems originating with defective product from China have affected homes in 42 states as well as well as Puerto Rico and American Samoa. The Safety Commission reported nearly 4,000 complaints about defective drywall across the nation.

It should be noted that not every company supplying defective Chinese drywall has offered to remediate homes and pay for out-of of-pocket expenses like Knauf has. Homeowners forced to leave their homes have been put into financial duress by having to carry the costs of their now-vacant home, while incurring expenses for rental accommodations. Those who cannot afford to carry two homes are forced to remain, at significant risk to their health.