HOOVER, AL (WIAT)---It’s a little known problem that can destroy your health, ruin your belongings, and render your home worthless. It’s Chinese Drywall and hundreds of families in our area have it. Tonight, many of them turned out for a town hall meeting in Hoover. One victim says she lost thousands of dollars on her home because of the drywall.
"This is just something that has really devastated my world because you do the right thing, you put twenty percent on your house, you don't carry any debt and then you can find out you have a home that's worth almost nothing,” said Megan McGarity, Chinese Drywall victim.
Organizers say they want to inform elected officials about the problem. They hope to someday get financial assistance for these victims.
Here are a few tips on how to detect Chinese Drywall, also known as Corrosive Drywall, in your home:
1. Inspect metal surfaces to locate black tarnishing.
2. Confirm blackening is caused by sulfide corrosion.
3. Document electrical and mechanical failures.
4. Evaluate suspect odors. (burnt match or swampy smell)
5. Collect drywall samples.
Then, you can complete a preliminary test by either executing a field XRF test for strontium or a jar copper corrosion test.
If either tests positive, you will then want to pursue a confirmatory test method such as a reduced sulfur gas emission test or a GC/MS or CG/ECD test of elemental sulfur.
For more information, contact Dr. Darrell Dechant, Executive Director of the Environmental and Industrial Programs at the University of Alabama, at (205) 348-8975.
