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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Fumes Due To Renovation. Will It Affect My Baby? What Is The Taste In My Mouth?

hello, We are having an issue with an upstairs renovation that has me a little frantic. Last Frday, apartment directly above ours finished their floors with an oil-based polyurethane without giving us any notice; reading it s effects on pregnancy, we evacuated at 12:30am to stay at a hotel. With all the windows open in our apartment, we left in the middle of the night and spent the rest of the following day away from our home. We returned on Saturday evening to find the fumes gone. Relieved, but angry, we tried to schedule with the contractors when they would arrive to apply the second coat so we could plan to be gone. However, they arrived on Monday, again without warning, and Stacy and I had to leave. We stayed with our mother in law. Tonight, we came home and wife was feeling a little under the weather; she was stuffy. I couldn t smell anything, so we went to bed. I just woke up with an odd taste in my mouth and a scratchy throat; now I am wide awake and petrified. She has been in this apartment since 6pm tonight, and now it s 1:50am. I do not know whether to wake her up, even though she s exhausted beyond belief, and cart her from the Upper West Side to her mom s again (we live in Brooklyn) or not. I am petrified that we ve done something early on to jeopardize our baby. She s about seven weeks along. Please help; please advise. The renovations were in the apartment directly above us, and we kept our windows open and our ceiling fans running for the entirety of the time we we were away. But I have a taste in my mouth now, in the middle of the night that I m 100 percent positive is from the remnants of what was done upstairs. What can we do now? I am at my wit s end with the uncertainty of this position.
Thu, 20 Sep 2012
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OBGYN 's  Response
Hello,
Children and pregnant women are better not exposed to chemical fumes in closed spaces. Polyurethane in oil-based paints does not cause much fumes. When the area is well ventilated and direct exposure is avoided, there is less reason to worry. The odd taste and burning indicate irritation with residual fumes which subside in due course of time without any harm. Care should be taken when people with allergies are exposed. Prolonged exposure in pregnancy may result in miscarriages and birth defects. Since you have ventilated your house well and did not get direct exposure chances of danger are less. Yet, I suggest that you inform your wife's doctor about the incident and take advice. Good luck.
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Fumes Due To Renovation. Will It Affect My Baby? What Is The Taste In My Mouth?

Hello, Children and pregnant women are better not exposed to chemical fumes in closed spaces. Polyurethane in oil-based paints does not cause much fumes. When the area is well ventilated and direct exposure is avoided, there is less reason to worry. The odd taste and burning indicate irritation with residual fumes which subside in due course of time without any harm. Care should be taken when people with allergies are exposed. Prolonged exposure in pregnancy may result in miscarriages and birth defects. Since you have ventilated your house well and did not get direct exposure chances of danger are less. Yet, I suggest that you inform your wife s doctor about the incident and take advice. Good luck.