[thetenor]

Greetings all. I live in Clio, Mi. I am 48 years old, and I think I have developed an allergy. The only thing that has changed in my home, is the fact that I blew about 16 inches of cellulose insulation in my attic about 5 months ago. Has anyone heard of this? My sinuses are always plugged, sneezing, and of late, I am starting to get short of breath while doing the simpleist of things. Any ideas?

[Cliffie]

If the cellulose was obtained from a plant family you're allergic to, that's sure a possibility. But bear in mind you can become allergic to anything at any time in youe life. It might be some fungus among us coming out of the atmosphere in the full bloom of the spring, or something you've been eating for years that's turned on you.

[magellan]

A quick google search on this shows that some people are allergic to newspaper ink (cellulose insulation is shredded newspapers).

[Manox]

I had a similar experience when I bought my new car. The symptoms correlated with the time I got the car. When I wasn't in the car I felt fine. Everytime I drove the care I was achy,fatigued and had headaches. I went to an Environmental awareness site for cars. There I found a list of all cars and a very extensive list of chemicals, and levels for each car. I learned my car rated high for over thirty chemicals. I also learned that there are cars with materials that are less offensive. I had a sensitivity to the chemicals in the plastics and textiles in the car. THese are called VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds. They are in paint, cars, building material, mattresses, furniture, insulation and a ton of other things. Most people are not bothered by them, however there are people who are chemically sensitive to these compounds. It is insane some of the chemicals that go into things, and I really don't know why they are in so many things. I guess to make it more durable and able to withstand wear and tear. I was shocked when I found out that high levels of chlorine, formaldehye and at least 30 other VOCs are in the plastics and vinyl in my steering wheel and car seats. When something is new, for example a car or mattress it goes through a process called Off Gassing. This is when the chemicals slowing seep out and become less bothersome. It took about three weeks for me to be able to drive my car without any symptoms. We did things to help speed up the process such as keeping the windows rolled down so the chemicals could release and go outside. My husband drove around for four hours with the heat blasting so the chemicals could release from the textiles on the seat. By the way, no one else in my family had a problem, but I have always been the one who has been sensitive to things although never to this extent. There was a college professor who had to leave her job after her building had new insulation put in because she developed allergies. She suffered from severe headaches, stuffy nose and watering eyes. When she wasn't inside the building her symptoms went away. She was dianosed with Building Sickness Syndrome. The good news is that your allergy will probably subside eventually(it's bad now because the insulation is Off Gassing and the chemicals are very high) I was told to give it six months to a year. However throught more research I learned I could do things to speed the process along. Is there is anyway to blow fans on the insulation and open all the windows to blow the VOCs out, or maybe take the insulation out and let it Off Gas outside? You can also have an environmental ecologist test the levels of VOCs found in your home. I read an article that said to do the same with new mattresses for a few weeks before you sleep on them. Also yes yeast,mold and fungi could also be present. And they can really make you feel bad too. You'll have to do some research and digging to find out more, this is not a common problem but it does exist and is documented. Google VOCs found in insulation too. I know it's terrible but please remember,LIKE GAS THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

[mslovesun]

Originally Posted by thetenor

Greetings all. I live in Clio, Mi. I am 48 years old, and I think I have developed an allergy. The only thing that has changed in my home, is the fact that I blew about 16 inches of cellulose insulation in my attic about 5 months ago. Has anyone heard of this? My sinuses are always plugged, sneezing, and of late, I am starting to get short of breath while doing the simpleist of things. Any ideas?

Hi,
I believe it could be your insulation, 24 hrs. after I had it done with all my walls, I had severe headaches, vision problems. at first it went away when I left the house, but now it got so bad it hangs with me throughout the day. the contractors can not take it back out without ripping all the new siding off and the wood below, as it sticky and can not simply be sucked out. There are fire retardents, boric acids, and a erray of other components in this and can seep through cracks and get into duct work.
Mary

[chiaana]

Originally Posted by magellan

A quick google search on this shows that some people are allergic to newspaper ink (cellulose insulation is shredded newspapers).

Is this true that cellulose insulation is made from newspapers? My mother is allergic to newspaper ink, so I know that part is true.

It is certainly possible to develop new allergies later in life, but if it's been going on for more than 5 months, that's too long for seasonal pollen allergies I think.

My recommendation would be to request your doctor for an allergen test to see if it is in fact due to the insulation. Removing the insulation will be costly, but it's probably your only choice if that's the case. Next time, you can look for an hypo-allergenic expanding foam insulation such as this one: [url=http://www.ecotecinsulation.com/spray-foam-insulation-services/michigan-insulation/]Michigan Foam Insulation, Michigan Insulation by Eco Tec[/url]

[mrsbugjr]

This is true where I live, at first we thought it may be a insect problem and had different exterminators to spray for us,but nothing would help.Finally, a very smart exterminator looked at the insulation in the attic, and it's the same stuff we see on our furniture and bed. We thought it was fleas but we have no pets, so the exterminator said it was from old newspaper and old clothes.My skin burns from this stuff coming from the attic and it feels as if insects biting me all over even in my bed. Called the home bulders and they said it was up to code and warrenty is not responsible for removal.If anyone has any ideals please email me [email]janicemcgee56@yahoo.com[/email]. Thanks

[Retroit]

I'm wondering if a roof exhaust fan would help? They have solar-powered ones.

This will give you negative pressure in the attic and pull the fumes out.

(I'm not an expert. Just brainstorming.)