HOUSTON – Texas is among the states where imported drywall, mainly from China, has reportedly been making people sick and destroying homes.
A Montgomery County homeowner said the excitement of moving into a new home in 2006 began to fade as her family started falling ill.
"As the years went on in the home, we became sicker and sicker. Went from never even having a family doctor to going to the doctors every other month, then every month. As well for my daughters," the homeowner said.
She did not want to be identified, because she said she is afraid.
“I think that we would probably be stereotyped as stay away. Don't go in that house. I don't want that for my family. My purpose in doing this interview is [to say] hey this is here," she said.
She said the laundry list of symptoms her family suffered includes bloody noses, allergies, respiratory trouble, constant sinus infections, bronchitis and pneumonia.
"Each year our medical expenses get more expensive,” she said.
The problems are not just in their bodies -- they're in the air, too, she said.
"A stinky rotten stale smell. It kinda like burns your nose after a while," she said.
She said her family had to replace their first air conditioner evaporator coil less than a year after moving in, replaced four in as many years, and another one is now on order.
Every electrical outlet they have checked is also corroded. The homeowner said all the wires -- which are made of copper -- look black, but they shouldn't.
Until now, the big headlines about Chinese drywall have been in Florida and Louisiana.
"It has turned into a nightmare because some companies have put profits before safety. Their houses need to be remediated at a minimum," said Thomas Bowes, an attorney representing the family.
The homeowner said leaving the house is not an option.
“And go where? And where ever we go, pay for it how? We are stuck. We can't do anything. We don't have $65,000 to spend to repair this house right now. We can't just walk away from our mortgage," she said.
She said their home has become a source of misery.
“We are just here; we are just existing. There is no happiness in it,” she said. “Knowing that we are living in a home that is unsafe for you, not knowing what the long-term health effects will be on you on your kids. It is all just really, really scary."
It is not just Chinese drywall causing problems, but also several other types of imported drywall that came to the U.S. between 2001 and 2008. But the Consumer Products Safety Commission has found that the biggest trouble is Chinese drywall imported in 2005 and 2006.
Consumers are advised to look for markings on the drywall itself -- the attic is the best place to look – to see if it has "made in China" printed on it.
