China drywall fix is major project

The inside of Michele Carrone's Riverview town home has been stripped to the studs. Crews are busy removing remnants of toxic drywall imported from China.

Carrone is one of dozens in the River Walk community who learned they have tainted drywall. She expects to return to the town home in January and is thrilled with the way her builder, Columbus, Ohio-based MI Homes, has handled the situation.

"They've been amazing," Carrone said as she checked on progress at her home Monday. "I'm living in a big, nice house while I wait, and I'll have a brand new home when I come back."

She's one of the lucky ones.

As investigations continue and lawsuits mount, more Floridians are learning their homes were constructed with toxic drywall imported from China. Some have nowhere to turn because their builder has gone out of business or is unresponsive.

The state has received nearly 600 complaints from homeowners who think they have the tainted drywall.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving forward with plans to visit several sites in China where the drywall was manufactured. The agency has received 800 complaints about the product and is sampling air in homes in Florida and other states.

The toxic drywall emits a corrosive gas that damages appliances. It smells of rotten eggs.

The drywall was used in about 100,000 houses nationwide built during the housing boom. The health effects of the drywall are still under investigation, but homeowners have complained of headaches, dry eyes, rashes and respiratory problems.

Agencies including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments are investigating.

The consumer product safety commission is expected soon to announce results of testing for radioactive phosphogypsum by the Florida Department of Health and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The toxic drywall has been found in 23 states, but the majority of complaints are from Florida.

Lennar Corp. said last month in a securities filing that it has set aside about $40 million to repair 400 houses in Florida. Some homeowners are joining class-action lawsuits against homebuilders, drywall manufacturers and distributors. Many of the suits are being consolidated in federal court in New Orleans.