This is our second fall/winter in our 4th floor apartment, and we've noticed that whenever the weather becomes cool, exhaust fumes which seem to come from the garage in the basement of the apartment building, seep into our apartment through the bathroom vent/fan and the shower vent/fan (both are separate rooms). My eyes burn in the middle of the night and I feel dizzy – in the morning our small child tells us that she has a headache and/or a stomachache.
When I get up in the middle of the night, I can smell this awful exhaust fume smell in both the bathrooms, and I have to turn and leave both fans on the whole night and morning to help just a little. Our landlady refuses to acknowledge this issue, and we're currently living in Europe, so I wouldn't know where to complain to. How can we fix this so we don't feel sick every day?!
Follow up from what appears to be the OP:
Thank you all for the info. I pasted most of your replies in an email I sent for her last night to help further clarify the situation. Unfortunately, since there was a mold problem we noticed when moving in, and she had to take care of it, she is reluctant to do much else – I think she believes I'm a hypochondriac and that I'm too sensitive!
We live in Salzburg, and I've been to the doctor many times (for myself and my child) and they dismiss the complaints about headaches, stomachaches and nausea – and never address it! Our pediatrician said it must be the "change of weather/climate" we are experiencing from having moved to Salzburg!
We are somewhat financially limited, as rent is high in Salzburg and vacant apts are scarce! Believe me, I'm freaking out about this and I can't sleep anymore…I don't know what to do – it's just one thing after another… first the mold, then a chain-smoking neighbor who would smoke all night and the stench would seep into our house (our landlady said there is nothing we can do about it), and now this (which has been going on for who knows how long!!). I purchased a CO detector today and put it in the bathroom (ELRO RM355). I'm worried that if, as some of you say, this doesn't pick it up – I will have no proof. I've been apartment hunting for 8 months now and am exhausted.
Could it be that being on the top floor of the building is the issue? As in, all odors, smoke and gases rise to the top?! I try to take my child outdoors as much as I can, and at night I run the fans and try to open the windows – but it's getting colder.
Just wanted to add that smell gets real bad in the middle of the night – it does smell like car exhaust fumes, but I don't think we have any neighbors running their cars in the garage at 3 am.
Also, if I do seal the vents with saran wrap, will it cause mold?
The CO detector hasn't picked anything up yet…
Best Answer
PLEASE seek professional assistance immediately.
There are two main issues with exhaust that can make you feel ill like this: Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. Both are harmful, if not fatal, if the percentage present in the air you breath is too high. You DESPERATELY need to install a carbon monoxide detector, and contact your local housing authority. This is not something to be taken lightly, nor fixed by amateurs. HVAC follows particular code and regulations in many countries. I suspect that your venting exhaust is either too close to the garage venting, or is venting INTO the garage.