New Orleans - Homeowners who believe they are victims of tainted Chinese drywall are turning to private companies for help. While some homeowners wait on government agencies to provide more information, they're taking matters in their own hands.
They want to know whether it's even safe to live in their homes anymore.
Michael Gurtler owns a home inspection and consulting engineering company. He says after Fox 8 broke the story of problems many blame on their drywall, his office received numerous calls from potential victims.
Gurtler points out that getting a home inspection will not be enough to determine if there is tainted drywall in a home. Because of requests from his clients to help, Gurtler has hired a microbiologist who he says can test the amount of Hydrogen Sulfide in the air. It's the compound of sulphur that some homeowners claim is being emitted from tainted drywall. Once the Hydrogen Sulfide is detected in the air, a sample of drywall is taken and sent off to a lab for further testing.
Those results still might not provide all the answers, according to State Health officials. The Department of Health and Hospitals has said there is no definitive test to find all sulphur compounds.
The DHH and the EPA had a conference call today following the request of Governor Jindal to investigate health issues surrounding tainted drywall. We understand the EPA will outline what it plans to do and what services will be provided sometime next week.
So far, DHH officials say they have received 400 phone calls from consumers regarding Chinese drywall. They have conducted 190 surveys from those calls.
