TAMPA - The federal government said Thursday it found elevated emissions of sulfur and other chemicals from drywall imported from China, but it can't yet link them to the illnesses or corrosion reported by thousands of homeowners.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is leading the multiagency investigation, said it won't consider a recall or a ban without more tests. Additional results from ongoing studies in Florida and Louisiana are expected next month.

"The expansive investigation and scientific work that has been done and continues to be carried out is all aimed at providing answers and solutions," Lori Saltzman, a director in the CPSC's Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction, said during a news conference. "No connections have been made yet."

The $3.5 million investigation is the largest in CPSC's history.

More than 1,900 homeowners in 30 states, including Florida, have complained to the agency about corrosion of metal and pipes and health issues, such as headaches, itching eyes and problems breathing.

The government must focus on the science and gather proof before taking action, Saltzman said.

Homeowners, anxious for answers, were frustrated by Thursday's findings.

"It's very unsatisfying for people who have Chinese drywall," said Roy Glaum, who found out last April that his Sun City Center condo contained tainted Chinese-made drywall. "We're looking for help."

Glaum, who serves on the Chinese Drywall Coordinating Group in Sun City, said he and his neighbors have few options. Their builder, WCI Communities, filed for bankruptcy and is not offering any help to the homeowners.

"Doctors are telling people to get out of their homes," he said. "Some people have no where to go. They've put all their money into their home. Now, you have financial ruin, health ruin - all at a time when you thought you would retire in a beautiful place and enjoy life."

The Chinese-made drywall was used in as many as 100,000 homes across the nation during the housing boom. Builders say it costs, on average, $100,000 to remove and replace the bad drywall.

New U.S. homes typically have domestic drywall, but a drywall shortage during the housing boom prompted many builders and contractors to turn to cheap, imported drywall. The affected homes were built mainly from 2004 to 2007.

Some builders, who say they didn't know the product was tainted, are offering to replace bad drywall. Other builders have gone out of business or say they can't afford to help. Class-action lawsuits against builders and manufacturers are mounting.

Meanwhile, homeowners have been awaiting the investigation by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments.

The report said defective materials in the drywall emit "volatile sulfur compounds." Officials have also found traces of strontium sulfide, which can produce a rotten-egg odor, along with organic compounds not found in American-made drywall.
CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said Chinese drywall has not been imported into the United States. this year but that hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made drywall boards have been tracked to U.S. ports. He said the agency has alerted the ports of the ongoing investigation, but there is no law prohibiting the sale of the drywall.

Warren Friedman of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said affected homeowners should contact their lenders for assistance or seek help through local grant programs. But he could not yet say what sort of federal help might be offered.

"We're prepared to work with our partners across government on remediation and re-housing families impacted by this problem and to help families whose homes have lost value," he said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804