FLORIDA—Today, she declines to have her picture taken—she’s running a fever. The chemical smell that permeates her home draws the attention of anyone who visits, including the mayor. The guesthouse is the worst.
“This was our beautiful home,” said Mary Ann Schultheis. “We picked out colors. We had a decorator come in. Now it’s a nightmare. It’s not happy. It’s not healthy.”
Schultheis blames it on the Chinese drywall. After putting the house up for sale in January, she found out that the cause of a problem with the air conditioner was the drywall, or gypsum, used in the walls. Schultheis decided that she couldn't sell their Parkland, Florida, home until the issue was resolved.
The couple bought two new plasma TVs since moving in two years ago. One has been fixed twice, the other one once. Light bulbs that usually last years fizzle out quickly.
The copper coils in an air-conditioning unit replaced one year ago are now black and so corroded that they leaked Freon, an odorless refrigerant that in high concentrations could cause asphyxiation.
“We don’t know what to do. I’ve moved a lot. It’s my seventh home. It’s the one I love the most,” Schultheis said.
The Chinese-produced drywall is reportedly made with “fly ash,” a waste material from coal-fired power plants. These materials can leak into the air and emit sulfur compounds, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Sulfuric acid has been known to dissolve solder joints and to corrode coils and copper tubing, creating leaks.
It was an air conditioner repairman who tipped her off that something was in the air. The AC was making noise, and its coils were black. The repairman told Schultheis that he had noticed a similar phenomenon in other homes in the area. Giving her two pieces of copper tubing, he told her to put one in a sealed plastic bag and the other in the closet with the AC unit. Now, about three months later, the piece of copper that was exposed to the air is beginning to turn black.
They had planned to stay in the home for five years. Now Schultheis is asking her mortgage company for forbearance. .
“We need to be able to get out of here to go where it's safe and healthy while our homes are repaired,” she said. But the financial repercussions of leaving could be disastrous.
“If we have to take a loss, we will now. I don't know if we'll have credit if we walk away [from our mortgage]. This is a catastrophe,” she said.
How do I know if my home contains tainted Chinese drywall?
Common health complaints include:
– Nose bleeds
– Headaches
– Coughs
– Upper respiratory or sinus issues
– Eye irritation
– Tiredness
– Difficulty breathing
– Aching body
– Rashes
– Family pets may have died
Common building-related issues include:
– Continuous falure of air conditioning coils, or HVAC units beyond anything normal. Copper coils have turned black, or a grayish black
– Oven, or stove elements, or refrigerator coils may have failed a number of times
– Failure of electrical appliances—computer, TV sets, radios, DVD players, smoke detectors microwave information display panels may have failed
– Corroded, or black electrical wiring
– High end silver jewelry, or silver plated utensils may be tarnished
– Light bulbs in homes with toxic Chinese drywall may burn out at a much faster rate than specified by the manufacturer
– Smell of rotten eggs
Who to contact:
– Your doctor
– State health department
– Homeowners Consumer Center/America's Watchdog
– Government representatives
SOURCE: Homeowners Consumer Center at 866-714-6466.