Chemical might be drywall culprit

Mildred Ballard, a retiree from Sun City Center, got a measure of assurance Monday that the drywall in her home is causing her thermostat to go haywire and the temperature to swing wildly.

Now if she only could figure out whom to hold responsible.

Many people with corrosive drywall from China in their homes are in a bind because their builders have gone bankrupt and it's not clear whether they can be held liable.

In Ballard's case, the builder was WCI Communities, which emerged from bankruptcy protection in September. Her attorney, Michael Ryan of Fort Lauderdale, is urging the federal government to pay for repairs until someone can be held accountable, whether builders, installers or drywall manufacturers.

"This is not a bailout - this is more like a life raft," Ryan said.

Monday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission confirmed there is a "strong association" between corrosion of metals and homes built with the drywall. A high level of the chemical hydrogen sulfide may be to blame, the commission says in a written announcement.

The government is investigating whether there are long-term health effects from the drywall. People are reporting watery eyes, coughing, headaches and other maladies.

Florida appears to be the epicenter of the China drywall trouble. Of the 2,091 complaints filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1,317 have come from Florida.

The commission said the link between corrosion in metals and the drywall will help it develop a screening process to find the problem drywall and develop ways to repair it.

"I'm still disappointed the government is taking too long to establish whether there's a link between drywall, corrosion and health problems," U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida says in a written announcement. "What's needed now is a timeline to let homeowners know when they'll get more specifics from the government."

In Sun City Center, as many as 75 homeowners are affected, said Roy Glaum, one of the residents and the founder of the advocacy organization Chinese Drywall Coordinating Group.

In Riverview, Vinny and Doreen Ernandez say they're feeling the pain of China drywall every day.

"We take sleeping pills every night just to get to sleep," Vinny Ernandez said.

Doreen Ernandez said, "I'm worried about cancer. I'm worried about what it's corroding. If it's corroding pipes, what's it doing to my body and my family's bodies?"

Many people are joining a class-action lawsuit against a major distributor of the drywall, Knauf Plasterboard Co., Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said Monday.

Claims can be submitted by e-mail to plaintiffs' attorney Arnold Levin at (215) 592-4663.