CNN news 2009-11-25 加文本

"I couldn't get over this mess."
The federal government is confirming what Joan Glickman of Pompano Beach, Florida suspected all along.

Tainted drywall from China is giving off a harmful gas that's turning her air-conditioning wiring black, causing it to fail. It's also destroying electrical wiring and corroding metal throughout her home. But what the Consumer Product Safety Commission can't tell her is whether the hydrogen sulfide gas coming from the tainted drywall is making her sick.

"They can't tell me what's happening to me now, and more importantly, they can't tell me what's gonna happen to me in 20 years, you know, am I gonna end up with, like a asbestos person with lung cancer?"

Federal investigators say they will need more time to determine possible health risks. But Florida Senator Bill Nelson whose state has seen more complaints than all others combined, agrees with Joan Glickman.

"I said well when are you going to know? They said we're gonna do another test, and they said they didn't know when that was gonna be done. Well, our people are tired of waiting."

Hydrogen sulfide is a noxious gas that smells like rotten eggs, and corrodes metal throughout affected households. Environmental health engineers did the study for the CPSC, and says warm, humid conditions magnify the problem.

"We found a direct relationship between temperature and humidity levels that were in the homes, and the amount of hydrogen sulfide that was being given off by the wall board."

There had been thousands of complaints about Chinese drywall and on the heels of this new report, the government is expecting more answers. But still to come, a plan for fixing the problem.

"That was a huge letdown because it still didn't tell me how to fix it, who is gonna fix it, how we go about fixing it? where the money comes from? This has left us in such a mess."

For now, Glickman and her family have moved in with her mother, her mortgage company is giving her a temporary break on payments, but she and homeowner's like her will have to wait, wondering if their dream home is actually a ticking time bomb.

Shawn Kalook, cnn, New Orleans.