Our “Chinese Drywall” inspection is as FL. DOH suggests.  The question we can answer for you, without expensive and inconclusive testing is: Does your home have a corrosion problem?  The following criteria are currently used by the FL. DOH to determine whether or not existing conditions in your home meet the case definition of the presence of Chinese/odorous drywall in your home:   1) Black or charcoal corrosion on copper wiring   2) Black or charcoal corrosion on copper refrigerant lines and coils in the HVAC system   3) A drywall stamp indicating country of origin and/or the manufacturer    4) Black or charcoal corrosion on copper plumbing lines   5) Expensive repair or replacement of the air conditioner’s evaporator coils due to breakdown  6) Sulfur like odor in one or more rooms in the home that is known to be not sourced in the waterFor homes built after January 1st, 2004, the FL. DOH states that if you answered yes to two or more of these conditions, your home meets the case definition.  If built before January 1st, 2004 and you answered yes to three or more of these conditions, you meet the case definition..

News: http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html

 CDC Home Page | CDC Response to Imported Drywall | CPSC Home Page | EPA Home Page | HUD Home Page
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Investigation of Imported Drywall Status Update, August 2010 (PDF)

Revision 1 to Interim Identification Guidance for Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall, August 27, 2010 (PDF)

Identification of Problematic Drywall: Source Markers and Detection Methods, June 2010 (PDF)

EH&E 51-Home Air Sampling Report (final report), June 2010 (PDF)

• EH&E Supporting Data

Drywall Emissions Chamber Testing (LBNL) Table, May 27, 2010

CPSC Identifies Manufacturers of Problem Drywall Made in China, May 25, 2010

News Release: HUD and CPSC Issue Guidance on Repairing Homes With Problem Drywall, April 2, 2010

Executive Summary of April 2, 2010 Release on Investigation of Problem Drywall (PDF)

Interim Remediation Guidance for Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall, April 2, 2010 (PDF)

Consumer Alerts

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Defective Imported Drywall

Chinese Drywall Assessment  ·         An American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) “Certified Industrial Hygienist”       or a AmIAQC board “Certified Indoor Environmentalist” (CIE) is qualified to perform a Chinese Drywall assessment.   ·         A professional Inspector will have Errors & Omissions Insurance for “Chinese Drywall”   ·        Your  Home Inspectors “Standard of Practice” does not cover “Chinese Drywall”  example: http://www.nachi.org/sop.htm  Home Inspectors E&O does NOT cover "Chinese Drywall" inspections.

FREA  provides insurance for Home Inspectors nation wide. http://www.nachi.org/forum/f11/chinese-drywall-input-needed-43657/ “CHINESE DRYWALL As plaintiff's attorneys begin to salivate over the defective Chinese Drywall issues, FREA is urging all its Members to include the following in their pre-inspection agreements: This inspector is not qualified to detect the presence of Chinese Drywall. Accordingly the issue of Chinese Drywall (and its potential problems) is beyond the scope of the inspection report. Best regards, The FREA Support Team 800.882.4410 support@frea.com

For Homeowners Criteria 1: Sentinel Indicators of Drywall Associated Corrosion (Possible Case = all 3) The home was constructed or renovated with new drywall since 2001. Observed corrosion of air conditioner evaporator coil exemplified by black corrosion on copper tubing components.  The corrosion can result in refrigerant leakage making it impossible to cool the home requiring coil replacement.  Coil failures indicative of this problem typically occur every 6-14 months Observed metal corrosion, indicated by blackening of one or more of the following: copper wires, ground wires, and electrical connectors un-insulated and un-coated copper pipes and fittings chrome-plated bathroom fixtures silver and copper jewelry mirror backing in bathrooms If you have answered yes to all three of the above indicators, the home meets the criteria for “possible case”. Continue to Criteria 2 or 3 only if home meets the criteria for “possible case”.  Trained professionals performing home assessments based upon this case definition should use their experience, training, and professional judgment to establish their inspection procedures and sampling strategies. Professional judgment is necessary to determine the number of samples and weight of evidence needed to meet each set of criteria.  A trained professional, not the homeowner, should conduct inspections and testing described in Criteria 2 and 3. For Trained Professionals Criteria 2: Supporting Indicators of Drywall Associated Corrosion (Probable Case = 1 or more) Observed markings on the back of drywall indicating the country of origin is China. Objective analysis of drywall in home finds Strontium levels exceed 2,000 mg/kg (ppm), indicating the gypsum used in the drywall was probably mined in China.  Analytical methods commonly used for this include XRF and ICP. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 If you have met the criteria for “possible case” and answered yes to at least one of the above indicators in Criteria 2, the home meets the criteria for “probable case”.  These criteria do not confirm that the drywall causes corrosion. Identifying the origin of the drywall is considered a screening tool for suspect drywall, but confirmation requires analysis described in Criteria 3. Criteria 3: Confirmatory Evidence of Drywall Associated Corrosion (Confirmed Case = 1 or more) Elemental sulfur (Orthorhombic sulfur, cyclooctasulfur, S8) content of gypsum core exceeding 10 mg/kg (ppm), indicating the gypsum in drywall samples from the home contains the source material that is believed to contribute to the reduced sulfur gasses emitted from corrosive drywall. Analytical methods commonly used for this include GC/ECD, GC/MS, or HPLC. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 Laboratory analysis of suspect drywall headspace for reduced sulfur gas emissions (H2S, COS, CS2) indicating drywall samples from the home emit reduced sulfur gasses capable of causing copper corrosion. Analytical methods commonly used for this include GC/SCD.6 Results that are indicative of corrosive drywall must be established by each laboratory based upon internal procedures, comparison to control samples, and validated methods. Qualitative analysis of suspect drywall for its ability to cause corrosion/blackening of copper under controlled conditions, indicating drywall samples from the home emit gasses capable of corroding copper.  Results that are indicative of corrosive drywall must be established by each laboratory based upon internal procedures, comparison to control samples, and validated methods.

July 2009 Lee County Residents can get a tax break for damage from “Chinese” Drywall  Chinese Drywall can cause damage to your homes HVAC system, copper piping, and wiring and may even affect your electronic systems such as TV’s and computers.  Lee County Property Appraiser says if you can prove the Chinese drywall is harming your home, you are eligible for a tax break this year. http://www.winknews.com/news/local/51633142.html If you too are living with Chinese drywall and have been since at least January first, you could get a big break on this year's taxes. "I think it could average $100,000," Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson says. Because that's how much, Wilkinson says, it could cost to strip a home to the studs and rebuild it. Each homeowner's claim will be judged on a case by case basis for reassessment. Kampf says that kind of a tax break is a great start but not enough. "If I tried to sell my house to you or to anybody else, there would literally be no takers and the value that would be offered to me would be the ground only, which is probably on the order of $20,000," Kampf says.”  “Property Appraiser Wilkinson: Contact us with Chinese drywall problems”http://www.news-press.com/article/20090728/SS15/90728039/1085/RSS0110/Property-Appraiser-Wilkinson--Contact-us-with-Chinese-drywall-problems

http://www.chinesedrywallprotocol.org/   “THE FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL COALITION FOR CHINESE (REACTIVE) DRYWALL”  has drafted a protocol which should be published for peer review soon.  Attendees to the “Chinese Drywall Removal Protocol Peer Review Seminar” sponsored by the IAQA Ft Lauderdale Chapter and Florida Atlantic University were given copies of the 4th draft of this living document.  “IV. Building a Team to Fix this ProblemBy matter of unfortunate predicament, should a home owner find themselves in a position without a responsible builder to remedy the situation, they need to build a “team” to help solve the problem-not the least which should include: ·         A Certified Indoor Environmentalist or Industrial Hygienist experienced in dealing with Chinese (reactive) drywall / chemical exposure issues …..”

News   Florida DOH    http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html  IRS tax relief, July 2, 2009, Internal Revenue Service ( < 1MB PDF) CPSC Investigation of Imported Drywall Status Report - July, 2009, US Consumer Product Safety Commission ( < 1MB PDF

For up to date information check out the Florida DOH forum: The forum "Chinese Drywall Events" at "Florida Department of Health" has received a new topic. You can view the forum by clicking on the following link: http://forum.doh.state.fl.us/viewforum.php?f=50

NEWS:     "Chinese Drywall" cause for leaving home; http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/06/florida.chinese.drywall.family/index.html “PARKLAND, Florida (CNN) -- Yorelle Haroush fled a million-dollar South Florida home this week, chased out, she said, by drywall made in China that's emitting vapors that smell like rotten eggs. "I said, 'you can't stay there anymore, because you're sick every minute,'" the family's longtime physician, Dr. Ross Nochimson, told CNN. "They're sick on a weekly basis. Ear aches, sore throat. I give them something, and they're sick again."

Check out the Florida DOH site as they have recently added a map of known cases. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environme...Statslarge.gif

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/chinese-drywall-problems-lead-to-reports-of-scams-in-florida-3647/ “On Thursday, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum encouraged homeowners to avoid potential scams like the sale of bogus test kits, door-to-door solicitations of home inspections by alleged “experts” with no qualifications, the sale of sprays and applications which allegedly cure the drywall corrosion problems and the sale of ozone generators, which could actually accelerate the corrosion of copper.” “The presence of defective imported drywall cannot be determined by ‘testing’ the air in the home,” said McCollum in a press release issued April 23, 2009