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lucky32

mystery fish smell ??? from electrical or fixtures?

lucky32
13 years ago

I have this problem coming from a ceiling fan, that smell is from the over heating of those "plastics" resins whatever is in the fan or fixture, and it is apparently outgassing formaldehyde! Thru tons of research I have come to know that is what the fishy smell is! This has made my 15 yo daughter VERY sick for the past 3 months and I just figured out where the smell was coming from last week. She has every test under the sun and has been having seizure like episodes since July. I just stumbled upon other post about the mystery fish smell and decided to have her room checked for formaldehyde. It was about 4 times over the limit for exposure to this gas which is very toxic and can cause a multitude of weird health problems!!! Has anyone else heard of this or been sick from it? thanks

Comments (5)

  • larke
    13 years ago

    Don't you know what formaldehyde is? It's the chemical used to embalm dead people or animals. It's used, in very tiny amounts, in various things, but if it came from a ceiling fan in a place you are renting rather than owning, you could have a case for breaking your lease immediately (and anyone with children would do so). But it's also important in fact for you to prove it by getting a certified inspector in to verify that's what happening. You can "research" til the cows come home on the internet but it's not going to help you legally, whereas an inspector's written report will. In any case, get your daughter out of there (if it's not obvious that it should happen), but also don't ignore the fact that she could be sick from something that has nothing at all to do with where you live.

  • rweb
    13 years ago

    You should try a company called Builders Hamilton as they helped me out with similar issues - though the house we found out use to belong to a chemist manufacturing his own drugs.

  • sherrylwade_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    It was definitely her fan, we did air test before and after removing fan and her room was 2 1/2 to 7 times over what a normal home should be depeding on which values you go by. After we removed fan it was in the range of a "normal residence". and with in 2 weeks all her symptoms were almost totally gone, now she only has seizures when exposed to other things that contain formaldehyde...and trust me there are WAY too many to list!

  • ks_toolgirl
    13 years ago

    I'm glad you were able to isolate the problem, & hope your DD continues to improve!

    I'm very curious as to the age of the fixture, and whether Bakelite or Catalin were involved. Both were made using this chemical, & were used in many things - including light fixtures. When I test older plastic jewelry for bakelite, simply rubbing briskly w/my thumb causes enough heat to release that "Jr high school frog-in-a-jar" smell! (Yuck!).
    I'm sure you've been told this already, but if DD's sensitivity to formaldehyde is that intense - bakelite may be something to avoid. Very popular now, in "vintage" jewelry & things!
    Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.
    S

  • ks_toolgirl
    13 years ago

    I'm glad you were able to isolate the problem, & hope your DD continues to improve!

    I'm very curious as to the age of the fixture, and whether Bakelite or Catalin were involved. Both were made using this chemical, & were used in many things - including light fixtures. When I test older plastic jewelry for bakelite, simply rubbing briskly w/my thumb causes enough heat to release that "Jr high school frog-in-a-jar" smell! (Yuck!).
    I'm sure you've been told this already, but if DD's sensitivity to formaldehyde is that intense - bakelite may be something to avoid. Very popular now, in "vintage" jewelry & things!
    Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.
    S