Question from Tracey from Chicago
I just got married the day before we closed on our new house. It’s already been five months, and I have not been able to live in it. I’ve been living with relatives out of state. The new house makes me so sick, I can only visit for a few days here and there, and only when all windows are constantly open and the hvac system is off. My last visit ended with me in the emergency room with difficulty breathing and chest pains. The doctor said it was inflammed bronchial tubes.
It may be left over residue from Ethyl Mercaptan, since there was an undetected propane leak in the home for over two months, before we bought it. OR…it might be the formaldehyde, as I seem to smell it the most when in the basement and near the kitchen cabinets.
We hired odor experts to come in and blast the place with Hydrogen Peroxide Generators for over 24hrs, which cut the fumes by 90% or more, but three months later it is building up again.
Our basement is unfinished with wooden beams on the ceilings, exposed plywood from the floors above, concrete slab foundation and blown-in insulation that is held in place with some sort of a fabric stapled to the studs. The basement is 2,000sf, and the entire house is 6,000sf.
We thought about carbon filtered air purifying systems, but the off gassing has to pass me as it comes out of the materials before it can reach the system…so there will still be exposure to it.
Are there any kinds of really super strong sealants that can be sprayed on…but what about insulation? Is there anything in concrete that would off gas?
Debra’s Answer
This is a fairly complex question that is difficult to answer from a distance. I would really need to come look at it.
What it sounds like is that you have had various treatments to “clear the air” of the pollutants, but the source of the air pollution is still there, continuing to emit.
My advice would be to figure out what is emitting the chemicals and remove or seal it, otherwise it is going to be an ongoing problem.
Also, did something happen between the time you purchased the house and it closed? Was it always this way? Was the problem not apparent when you were initially looking at the house?
It is very very important to consider toxic exposures of a house BEFORE you buy it. Best is to find a home that is nontoxic to begin with, or be sure you know how to remediate any toxic problems before you buy.
