WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The Contact Five Investigators are sorting through claims that homeowners are suffering from tainted drywall hanging in thousands of homes.
State and federal agencies are studying the problem, but many families say the government should be doing more.
Boynton Beach resident Brian Eisenberg is one of them. He and his wife have their first baby, a loving marriage, and brand new home.
"We moved here after our daughter Lily was born. We planned to live here for a long time, but now we’re heartbroken,” Eisenberg said.
Their dream came crashing down when the Eisenbergs noticed a sickening sulfur smell. Soon, they found corrosion on wiring throughout their new house. They’ve
replaced their air conditioner three times in two years, and the metal on all of their personal belongings is coated with black soot. Pointing to already blackened copper wiring on his newest A.C., he sounds disgusted.
"I'm not a scientist or a professional but I know that ain't right,” said Eisenberg. "I look at my daughter and I'm like I see this happening...what's going on in her lungs...I
mean hell, medically as a parent I'm desperate!"
That's how thousands of families across the state of Florida and other parts of the country are feeling right now. Most say they are desperate for answers. Their homes were built with tainted drywall, much of it manufactured in China.
In a preliminary report several weeks ago, Florida's Dept of Health confirmed the affected drywall is leeching a sulfur compound into the air, but the agency stopped
short of stating the problem is a health threat for homeowners.
Despite, the agency’s findings, Florida Senator Bill Nelson is calling for action on the issue. "I mean it's a horrendous case for 30-to-40 thousand Floridians,” Nelson told Channel 5.
The Senator said he is hopeful. This week the White House nominated a new chief to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
That’s good news according to the Senator who has been criticizing the CPSC for moving too slowly on the drywall probe.
"We want them to investigate it quickly and determine with the EPA if there is a health hazard with the CDC...what can be done to mitigate this problem and to draw a conclusion,” Nelson said.
But while Washington sorts through the red tape, victims are left waiting.
"I've been practicing for nearly 20 years and I don't think anybody has seen anything like this before,” said Allison Grant a construction attorney representing alleged
victims of the tainted product. But Grant is more than a lawyer working a complicated case. She is also a victim. She too purchased property built with the defective product.
"Beyond my legal expertise, I try to put them (my clients) in touch with people who can help them,” Grant said.
Grant is worried that many homeowners are making mistakes now that will cost them later.
"I think jumping into a lawsuit or class action before they sit down and think it through (is a mistake.) It makes it very difficult to negotiate once you sue someone,” she said. “We look at litigation as a last resort. Before we ever file a suit, we try to work with the builder and we’ve been fairly successful.”
Allison says she is most concerned about the Florida Department of Health's summary findings when it could not determine a health risk for homeowners exposed to the contaminated product.
“I think the results (of the DOH’s tests) are inconclusive and to make a statement like that before you have finished your study, which on its face they say they need to do more, I think is somewhat irresponsible,” Grant said.
It’s the reason Brian Eisenberg isn’t waiting. He believes his sick house is taking a toll his little girl Lily.
“She was put on a nebulizer at the age of 6 months and has been taking "she got put on a nebulizer somewhere around 6-to-9 months with Prednisone, steroids, Albuterol, Pulmicort,” he said.
Eisenberg has moved his wife and daughter out of their house, but he stays back in this tough economy, paying for testing, paying his mortgage and wondering about options.
“If you can’t afford to relocate, to rent a place because you’ve got all your money in your dream home…what do you do? Where do you go?” asked Eisenberg. “We as homeowners need answers because were stuck. We're stuck in homes that are toxic.”
A spokeswoman for Florida's Department of Health told Channel 5, as far as moving out of homes, "This direction is not coming from DOH as we have not determined a health risk," said Susan Smith, DOH spokeswoman.
But Smith did say the agency is still aggressively testing to determine whether there is a health risk to homeowners.
Channel 5 requested a formal interview with the DOH, but we were told the agency's staff is busy at the moment with the N1H1 virus.
Meanwhile, Florida Senator Dave Aronberg is backing legislation to tackle this issue. His proposal is sitting on the governor's desk right now. Contact 5’s repeated phone calls to the governor's office were not returned for this story.
