PARKLAND, Fla. -- A community in Broward County held a critical meeting Wednesday night to discuss homeowners' health concerns.

Residents are worried about imported drywall that some said is emitting toxic gases. About 30,000 homes in Florida could be affected. Many call it "an invisible enemy,” turning what would be shiny copper black, and making people sick.

At a meeting in Coral Springs, frustrated residents of the Heron Bay community said they had no idea they were living with it: stinking, corrosive, sickening drywall made in China.

John Willis and his family moved into their newly built Parkland house in Heron Bay two years ago. The home was new, but their air conditioning kept breaking.

Willis told Local 10's Janine Stanwood a repairman was called at least five times. A week and a half ago, the family was given devastating news.

"They came out, opened up the units and said, ‘There's no way these units should be this black unless you have something called Chinese drywall,’" Willis said.

The father of two said his wife was getting sinus infections. His oldest son had to be hospitalized.

"They put a pick line in his arm and we gave him antibiotic treatment every eight hours," said Lori Willis, John's wife.

Lawyers and a growing number of South Florida homeowners claim the illness is caused by the imported drywall used in the recent housing boom, when U.S.-made drywall was in short supply.

Reports indicate the Florida Department of Health is currently looking into 140 claims.

Robert McKee, an attorney who attended Wednesday's meeting in Coral Springs, said symptoms including headaches and sinus problems could be caused by Chinese drywall.

"They may be related. There must be forensic evaluation of each home on a case by case basis," McKee said.

John Willis is sure the drywall is making his family sick. He told Local 10 the surrounding homes on his street have the same drywall inside.

Heron Bay's builder, WCI, has filed for bankruptcy.

While class-action lawsuits are starting to pop up in Florida, residents in Heron Bay are not part of one yet. For many of them, the community meeting was just the beginning of what could be a long battle.