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Chinese Drywall Found in Bay County Home
10/21/09 - 08:42 PM

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The first case of Chinese drywall is found in Bay County.

Home Inspector and owner of Cardinal Home Inspection Steve Hord says he found the toxic drywall in a Bay County home Tuesday.

It’s a product used to build homes that emits a harmful odor and can corrode quickly.

Although most cases have been in south Florida, inspectors say this could be just the tip of the iceberg for the Panhandle.

First, you notice the smell. “It has a sulfer smell or rotton egg smell,” says Bay County home inspector Steve Hord.

Then, he says jewelry and fixtures tarnish, “The sulfer in the air corrodes a lot of metal piping particularly the copper piping,” he explains.

The culprit could be Chinese drywall.  Hord says most of it came to the U.S. during the building boom from 2001-2006 when wall boarding from China was cheap and seemed like a good find.

“The problem is like a lot of things made in China it doesn’t go through all the standards that we have in America so this drywall has a higher sulfer content,” Hord says.

The only way to tell for sure if the drywall is from China is to have it tested in a lab or check for the manufacturer’s stamp on the back.

You also can’t tell from the quality of the home. The home in Bay County where the Chinese drywall was found was built in 2006. Hord says the owner is now looking at about $30,000 worth of damage.

Those repair costs could be coming out of the homeowner’s own pockets. According to the Associated Press, at least three insurers have already canceled policies or denied claims concerning the drywall.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson says another cause for concern is the possible health risks, telling News 13, “Defective Chinese drywall is ruining the health and lives of countless Floridians. That’s why it’s imperative no stone is left unturned when it comes to getting assistance to affected homeowners.”

And although no health risks have been proven, inspectors say it’s a matter of time.

“You can see if you’ve got a copper pipe that’s shiny like a new penny and it turns solid black within a year to two years, its got to have some type of affect on your body or your lungs that you’re breathing that constantly throughout the day,” Hord says.