Chinese Drywall Made Easy by Zimmer Construction Consultants

Zimmer Construction Consultants addresses the issue of contaminated Chinese drywall

Boca Raton, FL  (PRWEB)  October 1, 2009 -Chinese Drywall Made Easy by Zimmer Construction Consultants

Many people have reported concerns about whether they may be affected by contaminated Chinese drywall.  Because of the serious nature of this issue, and the possible effects of exposure to contaminated building materials, we offer the following information, which is the result of our research of the scientific and field investigation reports that have been done so far in response to this issue.

The presence of contaminated sheetrock material in residential and commercial buildings has a number of physical and physiological effects, which can be easily identified.  Although not scientifically conclusive, the absence of these conditions is a good indicator that your building or facility has not had any of the contaminated materials installed. 

The following conditions or symptoms are usually the first level or check to determine whether defective wallboard is present.  Research and tests thus far have shown that the presence of any of the four varieties of contaminated material would result in at least one of the following conditions being present.

             1.        An odor of sulfur within the occupied space, which would be similar to rotten eggs or a burnt match.

             2.         Pitting, corrosion, or blackening of copper piping or wiring, such as the ground wires in electrical receptacles and copper tubing on HVAC or refrigerator coils.

             3.         Electrical failures in systems that involve circulated air, such as A/C systems, refrigerators, icemakers, etc.

             4.         Tarnishing or pitting of metals, such as picture frames, mirror frames, de-silvering mirrored surfaces, electrical fixtures, door knobs, and hinges, etc.

             5.         Health complaints by occupants in the space, such as irritated eyes, respiratory problems, coughing, nosebleeds, headaches, or sneezing.

If any of these conditions are found to exist in an occupied space, further testing and inspection is strongly recommended.  However, if at least one of those conditions has not been observed within the suspect space, it is generally indicative that the contaminated material is not present.  Alternatively stated, in every instance where contaminated drywall has been encountered, at least one of the above five conditions was present within the affected building or occupied space. 

Zimmer Construction Consultants (also known as ZCC) was founded by Richard M. Zimmer, P.E. in 1982 and offers construction-related services, including, Commercial and Residential Building Inspections, Construction Management, Foreclosed/Distressed Property Repair Services, Construction Progress Monitoring with Funding Recommendations, Expert Witness Services, Pre-closing Plan and Cost Reviews, Replacement Cost Estimates, Building Condition Assessment Reports, and Wind Mitigation Reports.

Zimmer Construction Consultants

129 NW 13^th Street, Boca Raton, Florida

Ph:  561-391-6917  Fax:  561-368-7882

Ph:  407-478-5162  Fax:  407-478-5164

Ph:  877-748-3300  Fax:  877-748-5600

www.zimmerconsultants.net

Richard M. Zimmer, P.E.

President