Strange throat issues at work

[poohbear227]

Does anyone know what this is?

At work, when I'm in the basement or sometimes in certain classrooms (work in a school), my throat will start to get really itchy, I'll have minor breathing issues, and I'll start to cough. My eyes will start to water and I'll usually need to leave the room because each time I try to talk. It's really embarrassing, especially during meetings. I've been keeping Cepacol cough drops on me and that will usually help, but I don't understand why this happens. In the winter, I thought maybe it was due to the heating system but it's obviously not that now, as the weather is warm & we haven't used the heat. We don't have central air or anything.

Any ideas??

 

[Gigi22]

Is there a chance that there is a renovation project, such as laying carpets, or painting walls, going on somewhere in that building? I ask because a friend had a similar reaction while at work--turned out she was having a reaction to new carpet "gassing off". I've also heard of people having a reaction to fumes emitted by photocopiers.

 

[Alphabetsoup]

I get that sort of reaction in rooms that have chalkboards...otherwise, I would wonder if there is mold in the school?

 

[AnnR]

could be mold. Especially in the basement.

 

[poohbear227]

Is there a chance that there is a renovation project, such as laying carpets, or painting walls, going on somewhere in that building? I ask because a friend had a similar reaction while at work--turned out she was having a reaction to new carpet "gassing off". I've also heard of people having a reaction to fumes emitted by photocopiers.

It's funny you mentioned the photocopier because in 2 out of the 3 places where this has occurred, the photocopier is in the hallway, outside of the rooms where this occurs....but the 3rd classroom that this has happened is nowhere near a photocopier.

No renovation projects that I am aware of.

 

[poohbear227]

I get that sort of reaction in rooms that have chalkboards...otherwise, I would wonder if there is mold in the school?

I know it sounds weird, but there is no chalk in the rooms that I work in!! I work in a preschool & also an elementary school, but they use dry erase boards in the elementary school.

How would I know if there is mold??? The preschool is a really old building. The other school is not as old.

If there is mold, can this cause any permanent health damage? I don't notice this happening to anyone else except for me...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If mold is the culprit, age is almost irrelevant. I.e. a newer building could experience moisture issues from one source or another that could cause mold. The one way you could find out is via allergy testing as it sounds like your symptoms are due to environment instead of illness.

ETA: While long term exposure to mold isn't healthy for anyone...someone who is allergic will have some type of immediate reaction to exposure as others might have to pollen or pet dander if allergic. In the long run, a non-allergic person will experience health issues from continued exposure...those are the stories you hear about on the news and why it is imperative to clean up moisture damaged items from a leak or a flood ASAP.

My oldest dd is allergic to mold(confirmed via testing in addition to her other allergies.)

 

[bumbershoot]

Mold is awful. It made me just overall sick, and it's happened a couple times. One long winter in Olympia WA I hadn't opened my bedroom blinds b/c they looked right out on the apartment parking lot...I was sick all winter... When we went to move out in the spring, as I was cleaning, I opened the blinds and just about passed out at the mold there.


Later on, when I was newly pregnant, I figured I was just sick b/c of that. Decided to move out of the place we were living in (BIL's condo), and while moving out, discovered a layer of mold on the floor in the back of the walkin closet, under some things I had stored there. Then we pulled the dressers away from the wall, and it was all on the walls and the backs of the dressers. We were sleeping right up against the walls. Later on, a year or so after we moved out...BIL and his partner went to their condo (which had sat empty), and discovered that there had been a flood from upstairs, and mold was halfway up the walls into the studs. It was a very damp place, obviously.


So I'd wonder about mold.


What about the markers for the whiteboards?


you said there's no renovation, but are you sure? In a weird coincidence, I was once living around some renewing of a house, and they were renewing a different department at my mom's work. Both of us were just sicker than sick, and couldn't figure out why...commiserated by phone (I was in WA, she was in VA). Finally we figured it out. Both places were using Kilz, the mold/mildew *killer* that people prime with, and we were getting the ventilation of that stuff. Naaaaasty stuff, Kilz is.... I stay away from it now.



Hope you can figure it out soon and do something about it!

 

[barkley]

it can be from mold-even mold not readibly visable.

dh teases me that i'm a mold detector b/c if there's any present in a place i spend any time, while i don't get the issues with my eyes and nose i begin to lose my voice.

dh recently brought home some boxes his late mom had in storage. after working in the garage they were located in for a couple of days i came into the house, and told him in a squeeking voice "there must be some mold somewhere in those boxes". sure enough we found some stuffed animals and books packed in the middle of the boxes that had molded.

 

[PollyannaMom]

It could also be that they had mold and are now using special cleaners to keep it away. A friend's daughter had a reaction to those.

 

[golfgal]

It sounds like an allergic reaction to SOMETHING and since you are having difficulty breathing with these episodes I would suggest getting an appointment with an allergy specialist ASAP to find out WHAT you are allergic to so you can have the problem addressed. I agree that it is very possibly mold but it could be peanut butter in a kids lunch too.

 

[Sparx]

It sounds like either mold or dust. I have a very similar reaction to dust. I would definitely tell a doctor about this. I have a lot of allergies that make me have trouble breathing. I always thought it was normal and everyone felt that way. I'll never forget the first day I actually had medication for it though. I could actually breathe deeply and clearly. It was wonderful.