Asthma and reactions to new furniture

[Norasnupp]

Hello!

I have asthma and use the Ventoline Diskus (bluegreen color) for attacks or other inconvienences with my breath. I feel that I have good control over my cronic illness, I'm in dialogue with my doctor about having asthma and I use the Diskus quite seldom and only when needed. Me and my boyfriend assembled some IKEA wardrobes a couple of days ago in our bedroom and it caused a lot of spread of dust and sawdust in the room. I now have great problems with just being in the room and sleeping has been a horror the last couple of nights because I sleep badly with pain in the lungs and wake up feeling extremely short of breath and air. We have wacuumed the floor and cleaned the surfaces and floors, and I try to keep the window open as much as possible, but I still feel great pain and have to use the Diskus a lot.

Is it normal to react to new furniture this way when one has asthma? What can I do to prevent more pain and suffering in my breathing system when I'm in the bedroom? I really don't want to reassemble the whole wardrobe just because I'm reacting to the dust..

Thank you for any advice!

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

Formaldehyde emission (FE) from solid wood and plywood used in the manufacture of furniture is not uncommon.  Over many years, clinical studies have strongly suggested a positive association between formaldehyde exposure and asthma, especially in children but also in adults.  I believe the first thing you should do is not to disassemble the wardrobe but to move it out of your living quarters, perhaps in a garage but not in a garage if the garage is the site of air intake for your heating/cooling system.  Following removal again vacuum everything in the room with special attention to dust gathering objects such as bedspreads, curtains and carpets and do this with the windows open.  The best test would involve your sleeping elsewhere for 10-14 days.

Your description indicates that there is a strong temporal relationship between the wardrobe assemblage and your symptoms but it would be wise to determine if anything else, especially something allergic might have been introduced into your bedroom at the same time.  I assume that you were able to sleep in this very same room with these symptoms, prior to the furniture entry and the associated dust so the assumption of cause and effect is certainly suspicious.

You should also pose this question to the physician you see for your asthma.

Good luck.

[SinusSufferer972]

Hi.  Just a thought: Maybe it's true that the sawdust and regular dust is the main thing causing the problem, but it's also possible that the furniture itself is giving off VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which IKEA furniture and other things made of particle board and other similar materials can do.  If you Google "ikea wardrobe VOC" or "ikea furniture VOC" you'll see messages along these lines.