Chinese Drywall Found In High-Rise
Drywall To Be Removed From Aventura Condos
POSTED: Thursday, July 9, 2009
UPDATED: 5:55 am EDT July 10,
2009
AVENTURA, Fla. -- More than 150 units inside a newly constructed, multimillion-dollar high-rise in Aventura were made with Chinese drywall.
Chinese drywall releases a sulfur-like smell and is said to corrode air conditioning coils and pipes, Local 10's Jeff Weinsier reported. Some people have claimed that the smell from the drywall makes them sick.
Local 10 has learned that 154 luxury condos in the building were built using Chinese drywall. The Peninsula II was built in 2007, and there are 230 condominiums ranging from $600,000 to $1.4 million in the building.
"They don't know what the extent of the electrical and plumbing damages are," said Aventura building official Raul Rodriguez.
Work on removing the drywall has not yet started.
"Once they remove the drywall, we're going to go in an inspect, almost like every inch of the unit, to determine whether anything else has been contaminated," Rodriguez said.
Momentis Property Group, which manages the building, said tests have been done and show that there is no tainted drywall in common areas, including the lobby, hallways and meeting rooms.
Momentis Property Group released the following statement:
“Immediately upon receiving questions from tenants pertaining to Chinese drywall, Momentis Property Group retained ENVIRON, a leading environmental engineering firm, to conduct a series of air quality tests within the Peninsula II building. The health and safety of our residents was top priority. While initial results indicated that some units in Peninsula II do, in fact, contain some affected drywall, none of the test results to date indicate the presence of indoor air conditions that present a health risk to our residents. Momentis has been working diligently with industry experts to determine how to appropriately address the situation and are currently evaluating a number of potential solutions to meet the unique needs of each affected unit.”
Real estate agents said the 32-story building is only half full.
Peninsula I, the building next door, is not affected by the Chinese drywall.
Previous Stories: - June 30, 2009: Builder Replaces Chinese Drywall
- June 11, 2009: House With Chinese Drywall Tested
- April 24, 2009: Scam Artists Prey On Chinese Drywall Fears
- April 9, 2009: Is There Chinese Drywall In Your Home?
- April 7, 2009: Wexler Calls For Ban On Chinese Drywall
- April 7, 2009: Effects Of Chinese Drywall 'Devastating'
- April 3, 2009: FEMA Help Sought For Chinese Drywall
- March 30, 2009: Law Would Ban Tainted Chinese Drywall
- March 26, 2009: Residents Raise Health Concerns Over Chinese Drywall
- February 27, 2009: Attorney: Drywall Sulfur Destroying Homes
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