????近四年來，中國問題石膏板的受害者一直盼望美國聯邦政府能幫助他們解決這個影響了美國數千家庭的問題。

????這些有毒石膏板釋放出的含硫氣體腐蝕了室內的線路和管道，造成煙霧報警器和電子設備失靈，還可能和屋主及其子女、甚至家中寵物的呼吸道疾病、鼻竇問題或者鼻出血等癥狀有關。

????在美國第112屆國會行將屆滿之際，議員們最終通過了針對有毒石膏板的《石膏板安全法案》（Drywall Safety Act），并在生死攸關的財政懸崖談判進入尾聲時將這項法案遞到了總統奧巴馬的面前。上周，奧巴馬在這項法案上簽了字。

????現在只剩下一個問題：這項法案基本上不能防止毒石膏板問題繼續擴散，也不能避免它再次出現。該法案并沒有要求制定相關標準，從而確保今后的進口或國產石膏板的含硫氣體釋放量不會達到能引發這些問題的水平。它也沒有要求出售相關房屋時說明使用了中國石膏板——這有可能讓購房者的下一代都面臨入住有毒房屋的風險。

????此外，迫于業界游說帶來的壓力，這項縮了水的法案實際上把制定新規則的任務完全交給了石膏板制造商，而不是政府監管部門。

????因此，對經濟上和身體上都深受毒石膏板侵害的人們來說，情況可能不會有什么改觀。而造成這些石膏板釋放腐蝕性氣體的真正原因也許一直會隱藏在迷霧之中。

????多數美國住宅都用石膏板作為內墻建筑材料。樓市一片繁榮的時期，石膏板需求之旺盛令人驚嘆。而颶風肆虐的2005年（其中包括卡特里娜颶風）過后，整個美國都出現了石膏板供給不足的局面。許多供應商和建筑公司轉而使用從中國進口的石膏板。

????不幸的，隨后的情況證明，大量進入美國市場的中國石膏板都含有有害物質，它們會在室內釋放出硫化氫和二硫化碳。

????2009年1月，《薩拉索塔先驅論壇報》（Sarasota Herald-Tribune）報道稱，2006-2008年美國從中國至少進口了5.50億磅（24.75萬噸）石膏板。業界專家估算，這些石膏板足以修建6萬棟普通房屋。從那時起，美國各地建起的成百上千棟房屋都使用了中國石膏板，而這些房屋也都出現了幾乎相同的腐蝕和健康問題。（該報和非營利性新聞機構ProPublica在2010年收集的信息顯示，約7,000棟問題房屋涉及訴訟或退稅；此后這個數字一直在上升）。

????For nearly four years, victims of contaminated Chinese-made drywall have sought help from the federal government to solve a problem that's wreaked havoc in thousands of homes across the country.

????The tainted drywall releases sulfur gases that corrode a home's wires and pipes, cause smoke detectors and electronic devices to fail, and has been linked to a host of respiratory ailments, nosebleeds and sinus problems plaguing affected homeowners, their children – even their pets.

????In the waning hours of the 112th Congress, lawmakers finally passed a piece of legislation aimed at tainted drywall – sending the bill to President Obama's desk during the final stages of the high-stakes wrangling over the fiscal cliff. He signed the Drywall Safety Act last week.

????There's just one problem: the bill does little to prevent the problem from continuing to spread, nor keep it from happening again. And it doesn't call for standards ensuring that future drywall – imported or domestically produced – does not release similarly problematic levels of sulfur gases. It also doesn't mandate disclosure of Chinese drywall when an affected home is sold – leaving a whole new generation of buyers currently at risk for inheriting the tainted homes.

????What's more, after lobbying pressure from industry, the watered-down legislation hands off virtually all responsibility for developing a handful of new rules to drywall manufacturers themselves, rather than government regulators.

????As a result, little may actually change for those whose finances and health have been severely impacted by the tainted drywall. And what's actually causing the drywall to release its corrosive gases may remain a mystery.

????Drywall, also known as wallboard, gypsum board or Sheetrock, is used to build the interior walls of most U.S. homes. During the housing boom, demand was incredibly high, but after the devastating 2005 storm season that included Hurricane Katrina, drywall supplies around the U.S. ran short. A number of suppliers and builders turned to imported gypsum board from China.

????Unfortunately, large quantities of the Chinese drywall arriving on U.S. shores turned out to be contaminated – releasing noxious and corrosive sulfur gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide into the air of homes built with it.

????In January 2009, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that at least 550 million pounds of drywall arrived from China between 2006 and 2008 -- enough for 60,000 average-sized houses, according to building experts. Since then, hundreds and then thousands of homes indeed popped up across the country with tainted Chinese drywall and nearly identical corrosion problems and health effects. (Records compiled by the Herald-Tribune and ProPublica in 2010 found about 7,000 affected homes involved in lawsuits or tax abatement programs; the number has grown since then.)