Last week they began to paint and spackle our office since we've had some expansion.

Here's my problem - how do I detox away the ghastly fumes in my office from the painting they're doing?

Despite promises from the contractor that they'd be using Low OEM paint, they show up with buckets of generic paint and OIL BASED paint for the metal door jams. I complained, but the bosses could care less. The building is all recirculated air.

By the end of the day, my eyes are raw and my entire body is red as a tomato. I use the foot detox patches at night (they're oozing with stuff) and my sweat absolutely stinks!

It gets better - next week I look forward to the lovely toxins from the NEW CARPETING they're putting in.

I've asked to work from home for the next few days.

Any ideas how to help myself dump all this stuff?

A friend of mine uses Charcoal and sauna to detox.

I used toulene for years ,it is the main ingredient of carb cleaner,it ate my blader lining and gave me epistitial cystus. Any chem with any part of toulene in it tortures me terribly. Exelene,toulene,ethel methel benzine,all make feel like i have to pee 24 hours a day allways.Like I have been on the interstate for hours after drinking a two liter of coke.

I am in a constant battle with fellow employees. They wan't to spray the stuff at will inside the shop.Even after a doc. excuse they stil don't belive me and sneek the chems.. They call me a hypochrondiact. They need a soldering iron shoved up their urerithra.

I cannot continue to work much longer. This week they snunk in more of the stuf and I am in terrible pain at this very time.

I break out in hives from yard chems.They make insect killer from exelene ,I recently discovered this . Now i know why I wound up in the ER from the yard chems.

It is allways what other people do that is wrong that causes me problems.

My daughter, who also has LYme, is also very sensitive. When the school did painting and/or new carpeting, I calleed th EPA for information. The truth is these things (oil paint and new carpets) are toxic to EVERYONE. The EPA told me wee were fortunate to be "canaries in the mine" because our discomfort caused us to leave thea rea, whereas the folks not experiencing the symptoms are being equally harmed.

I think you should not focus on detoxing, I think you should avoid the toxins entirely. I strongly emphasize this. It took me a long time to heal from exposure to new carpeting, in particular. The outgassing is supposed to be relieved, accordint t EPA guidlelines, with lots of ventilaton, expedited by fans.

The school moved my daughter's classes for 3 weeks, and teh janitors set up huge fans which they had on all night, with windows open.

A business that does not have adequate ventilation should do something about safety wthese renovations, and even one that has windows that open shouldn't do this work in the winter.

I think you need to work from home for a month. And get on the phone to the EPA (they have kits for indoor air quality), OSHA, Office for Civil Rights (ask about the Americans with Disabilites Act) and get your LLMD involved. If they threaten to fire you, you would have a good legal case.

The information on the toxins in carpet outgassing is readily available online and from the EPA. Ditto with oil paint. Again, these are harmful to EVERYONE while outgassing, and outgassing should be done with huge amounts of ventilation. It takes maybe 3-6 weeks, I forget...

Lyddie, many thanks for your poignant thoughts. I know this stuff is harmful - one of my bosses is very sympathetic (although they feel that aren't doing themselves any harm). My other boss (quite elderly) will never get it, so I won't bother.

Even a coworker (who has some immune issues) has been breaking out in a rash on her arms.

If I can't avoid going to the office altogether, will do my best to work as much from home as I possibly can.

I raised this issue from the very beginning and was told I could take vacation or work from home. I might add this work was scheduled for July.

A year ago, I demanded an environmental firm come in and inspect this building because of how sick I would become every time I went into the building.

The results: The VENTS TO OUTSIDE ARE CLOSED!!!!! Plus lots of water leaks and evidence of mold. (Partly the reason for the entire building is being renovated as well).

After doing detox in a sauna last june they replaced the wooden boards with PVC mats and this gave me terrible vertigo.

Stupid me thinking that it would dry up and Id be able to use the sauna again, I went in there 5 more times.

Now I am left with chronic vertigo and chemical sensitivites. THIS SUCKS.. ITS TORTURE!!!!!!!!!

My ears feel like their oozing all the time and I have post nasal drip.

Cant wear cologne any more cause even this bothers me.

I dont know what to do. Ive had this daily for so so long.

Ive taken so many drugs and herbs to try and rid my self.
Even after the sauna I feel the same.

My sinuses are F**D up.

After doing detox in a sauna last june they replaced the wooden boards with PVC mats and this gave me terrible vertigo.

Stupid me thinking that it would dry up and Id be able to use the sauna again, I went in there 5 more times.

Now I am left with chronic vertigo and chemical sensitivites. THIS SUCKS.. ITS TORTURE!!!!!!!!!

My ears feel like their oozing all the time and I have post nasal drip.

Cant wear cologne any more cause even this bothers me.

I dont know what to do. Ive had this daily for so so long.

Ive taken so many drugs and herbs to try and rid my self.
Even after the sauna I feel the same.

My sinuses are F**D up.