I was down in Florida last week, where the subject of Chinese drywall is never far from anyone's thoughts. Outside the Sunshine State, though, media coverage has been a bit spotty, for two reasons:
The victim group is wrong, being comprised mostly of middle class white people; and the extent of this environmental and financial disaster has proven (if such proof were even needed these days) that the Feds are far better at collecting tax revenue than actually solving the problems these tax dollars are supposed to solve.
Upwards of 60,000 homes are affected in Florida alone, with one of the hardest hit cities being Cape Coral. I spent three days there last week to observe the situation first hand. For most of the trip, I tagged along with Michael Foreman of Foreman and Associates, the state's leading purveyor of remediation for Chinese drywall problems.
Given that Florida is already home to countless scam artists, there are probably hundreds offering a panacea to this problem. Let me assure you: Foreman is the real deal, and he's racking up the successfully treated homes to prove it.
Remediation consists of removing all the drywall, insulation, wiring, ducting, and furring strips, cleaning the place up, and then treating all remaining surfaces with a proprietary chlorine dioxide solution from AbissoCleanse, Inc. After this treatment, core samples are taken from block and wood, and only after these pass muster does reconstruction of the house begin.
This is all good news, but it is overshadowed somewhat by the fact that so far, anyone who wants to clean up his tainted house is doing it on his own dime. That's right. Currently, there is no help whatsoever for those poor souls, who—through no fault of their own—got stuck with a contaminated house.
Foreman and others are working to change this. Thousands are hoping that they will succeed.
Check out my HND article, that covers this in more detail.
The Building Envelope Science Institute (BESI) endorsed a remediation protocol back in October 2009, the first if its kind, that more than exceeds the recent recommendations by the CPSC & HUD interim remediation guidance and is aligned with the court's ruling in the MDL-2047 litigation.
In fact, the institute has been certifying qualified candidates for inspection and remediation of structures with defective drywall since last year. The institute has a national directory for those looking for those qualified to perform an inspection or remediation.
Those that have earned a designation as a remediator or consultant through the institute have attended a two-day course with a written final exam; inspectors attend a one-day course with a written final exam. There are prerequisites they have to meet, which includes being in good standing with the state if they are licensed (required for those performing remediation.
The institute has a document on it website that explains the system called "Understanding the Protocol", it's a powerful document.
More information about the protocols and requirements can be found at www.BESInstitute.org.
Posted by: consteducator | May 05, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Thanks for the information.
MDS
Posted by: Michael Shaw | May 05, 2010 at 12:11 PM
May 5th, 2010
Michael Shaw ...
Your courtesy towards abusers of your web site is commendable ...
My firm would like to comment on the obvious ...
BESI ADVERTISEMENT ...
Promoting themselves without even acknowledging your article and content facts ???
AbissoCleanse Treatment System as you confirmed in your article, and actually observed live, and first hand ...
Actually works, unlike other wannabee systems ...
Not to mention ...
Meets and Exceeds ...
Judge Fallon's order and CPSC Interim Guidelines
"SMOKE n' MIRRORS" approach by other wannabees ...
Super heating of the structure, airing out for weeks or months first, with no confirmed measurement of success, including Post Treatment Testing and Completed Operations Insurance Policy, not to mention ...
Satisfied, Happy, Consumers and Contractors ???
As I'm sure ... your educated readers understand your tolerance ...
I just fail to see the professionalism of their posting ...
Again ...
My compliments on your professionalism by not removing their posting or banishing them from your web site.
Michael S. Foreman
President
Foreman and Associates, Inc.
http://www.ForemanandAssociates.com
Posted by: Michael | May 05, 2010 at 04:51 PM