During the housing boom between 2004 and 2007, Florida home builders had a shortage of drywall and had to import drywall from China. This Chinese drywall has been linked to seepage of sulfide gasses that can corrode copper wiring, house hold appliances, and components of the heating and cooling system for the house. Due to the sever nature of this problem, homeowners are being forced to leave their homes while the same builders replace the defective drywall.

This problem is huge for the State of Florida. It is estimated that there are over 36,000 homes that have this drywall. The State of Florida’s Department of Health is studying the problem to see if there are any effects to human health. Most homeowners complain that their home smells like rotten eggs. The Governor of Florida (Charlie Crist) has also requested that the EPA be involved in testing these homes as it is a very unique but potential crisis. The bulk of these homes are found in Sarasota Florida and the prime builder was Lennar. There are isolated cases of homes throughout Florida but these homes had the drywall shipped from the Sarasota area where the defective drywall was shipped to.

As the lawsuits and pending cases begin to work their way through the legal system, this could very well be the largest product liability case related to housing in U.S. history. Should you have any concerns about this problem or if you want to learn more about the Chinese Drywall problem, visit the Florida Department of Health’s website key word drywall.