Question About Fumes From Floor Finishing....

[Monklady123]

So here's an odd question --- or maybe not, since this is all new to me. Before this gluten thing got me I was never overly-sensitive to smells. For example, paint or cleaners -- if it was really strong I might have said "yuck" or maybe gotten a mild headache. But nothing more than that.

But, we recently pulled up the rug in our church sanctuary and had the floors refinished. This was at least three weeks ago. The smell is still lingering though. Last Sunday I couldn't make it through even half of the service. Thankfully I wasn't leading but just sitting in the pew. I started feeling nauseous and light-headed, and started coughing, and had to go out in the hall near the door. I ended up participating in the last half of the service from the doorway to the sanctuary.

So I'm wondering, do you think this reaction was so severe because of my body still not being healed from gluten damage? (I've only been gluten-free since the summer, and have been glutened several times so I know I'm not healed.) Or is floor varnish just a particularly awful odor? Is there gluten in floor varnish?

My dd said that she noticed the smell, and that her friend sitting next to her was coughing, so maybe others were bothered too. But I didn't see anyone else who had to get up and leave.

[ravenwoodglass]

I don't know if your reaction to the fumes was made worse because of your still not being fully healed. I do know that those fumes are really toxic though. Could your church perhaps contact the fire dept and see if they could loan you some heavy duty exhaust fans that could be run for a while to see if they could relieve it somewhat?

[GFreeMO]

I had something similar happen to me last year when we painted the whole inside of out house. I think since we have celiac, we may be very sensitive to chemicals.

Next time, take a break, go outside and get fresh air. I'm sorry you got sick. Hopefully you are on the mend now!

I don't think that there is gluten in floor varnish. It was probably the fumes that got you. I am very sensitive to smells. I think a lot of us are.

[FooGirlsMom]

Hi there,

Actually, yes, it can make you more sensitive to smells. From what I understand, it has to do with the auto-immune response. Some years back, in my 20s, when I had my first systemic breakdown from gluten, one of my symptoms was a systemic Candida problem. I didn't know gluten was the culprit then, but as I studied about Candida and how to cleanse my system, one of the symptoms I had was extreme sensitivity to noxious odors. Out-gassing of the chemicals from new carpets in office buildings, paint & even car exhaust made me ill for days. What I read said that those with compromised immune systems (for instance, someone who is ill, has AIDS, etc) can become hyper sensitive to chemicals. The way it was explained in laymen's terms is that your ability to tolerate what's wrong inside is like a cup. Once that cup fills up with problems to solve, if the body cannot fight to keep that cup below the full line, you are going to get the 'spill over'. Once you hit spill over stage you find yourself sick, not dealing well with environmental toxins, etc.

Anecdotally, I have noticed this to be true. When I've known people with various overwhelming illnesses, say, mold reactions in their homes. Mold is not their only issue. They start having problems with colds & flu's, etc. The body's immunity can only fight off so much before it's overloaded.

What you described just happened to me last week. Since my husband's been unemployed, I've gone back to doing cleaning accounts for extra money. The other night the floor guys were in stripping the tile removing the wax with a highly noxious compound. I was ok the hour I was there working. But once I left and went home, I couldn't stop coughing. I hacked until I got an iron-like bloody taste in my mouth & I felt really sick the next day like I was coming down with the flu. When I'm really healthy, these things bother me far less. I can smell toxic chemicals for a short time, even in enclosed areas, and might get a very slight headache but that's it. This was bad. I know it's a combination of chemicals in an enclosed area & my immune system still not being 100% yet.

So I hope that helps. You really can have environmental sensitivities while your body is healing. I read many reports that discussed the issues those with immune diseases experienced. I wish I could cite the journals, etc. but it's just been too many years and too many moves ago and I don't have them anymore.

The good news is that as you get healthier, you shouldn't have as much trouble. I had about 10 years of being primarily gluten-free where I didn't react to most toxins. I hope the same proves true again and for you too

FooGirlsMom

[FooGirlsMom]

I had something similar happen to me last year when we painted the whole inside of out house. I think since we have celiac, we may be very sensitive to chemicals.

Next time, take a break, go outside and get fresh air. I'm sorry you got sick. Hopefully you are on the mend now!

I don't think that there is gluten in floor varnish. It was probably the fumes that got you. I am very sensitive to smells. I think a lot of us are.

Sorry to hear about your paint If you ever have to paint again, you can find low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint that has a much lower noxious fume issue. I've heard it really helps and am going to do it myself next time we paint

FooGirlsMom

[captaincrab55]

Years back my Mom suffered from exposure to oil base paint and solvents... Latter in life most perfumes and some deodorants even caused issues... Since my Mom passed without being diagnosed, I can only say that Her issues were most likely caused by Celiac...

[Monklady123]

Thanks everyone. And thanks for that info Foogirlsmom....very interesting. My dh and I have been talking about painting our living room and dining room so I'll keep all this in mind when we look for paint. I guess in one way then I'm glad I had that problem in church, because otherwise I wouldn't have learned all this and we might have gone ahead and painted our house! Since I do have to live here that would have been worse. I'll just not lead worship at church until the smell is completely gone.