Serious asthma attack
 

Hi bought a hi lo and picked it up in ohio on wednesday. J & r did the necessary repairs plus re added the bathroom coverings and walls which the previous owners had taken down. I inspected the trailer was in it for awhile, they closed the windows and door and i drove it home 15 hours later. Got in today around 6am. Around 2:00 took it to a friends home where i was going to keep it and opened it to show them. Went in and was explaining how everything worked when i couldn't breath. Ran out trying to get some air in my lungs, they called 911 and they had to give me oxygen. Have been on complete bed rest. My daughter thought it might be mold but i didn't see any when i examined the trailer. Is there anything that could cause an alergic reaction like this?? Could the bathroom coverings have picked something up? I can't go in the trailer again till i at least have an idea. Please help if any of you have experienced this type of problem, whether small or big. Janice

New walls?? I don't want to say it but it might be chemicals in the new walls that caused it.
Oh and pictures of yor new baby please. :)

Hope you're feeling better now, Janice. Not sure what might have caused your symptoms but perhaps keeping your trailer aired out for a few days will help. Congrats on your purchase!

Janice, the advice provided by Greg X2. I use to visit Camping World to see the new model RVs recently sent from the factory. My eyes were tearing up and swelling by the time I finished the tour. Later, when the Hi-Lo factory was advertising for sale in 2009 their extra inventory of Classics, we bought one and paid to have it towed to the Charleston area from Ohio (we did not have the proper truck to do it ourselves). I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the Hi-Lo and found only a hint of that glue smell. When I was carefully looking through paperwork, we noticed that the factory may have used our Hi-Lo at RV trade shows for Model Year 2009. By their opening up and ventilating the camper over the year, the glue smell dissipated.

Dee

Janice, if you remember the FEMA trailers from the days of Hurricane Katrina, people were getting sick from the formaldehyde they were emitting. It was later determined that those trailers were not for long term use. It may be with the glues they used. If you can keep the windows open, as well as the door when you can, most of the nasty things in the adhesives will dissipate and evaporate. It may take a week or two.

As Ruben said and run the fans in the camper roof, too. You probably have a screen in the upper half of the camper door, so with the upper part of the door open and the screen closed, ventilation in and critters stay out.

Dee

I agree on its the formaldehyde in the paneling. Its worse in the heat.
When I worked on park models we would open them up for about ten minutes in the summer with a fan helping to vent the unit out. A few of us got very dizzy a few times when we did not do this and we were in our prime. :o

Rick

This is quoted from Industry Hygiene website:
there are not a large amount of formaldehyde exposures in construction. However, there is A LOT of formaldehyde used in construction materials. Formaldehyde can be dangerous at levels undetectable by your nose. And, the symptoms of exposure are nondescript (irritant & tingling of eyes, nose, respiratory tract).

Here are some products that may contain trace (or more) amounts of formaldehyde:
•resins in plywood, MDF, CDX, particle board/fiber board
•garage doors
•drywall
•roofing
•glues / mastics
•paint/coatings
•carpets
•insulation (spray in and batting)
I'm not saying this is the problem, but it is 2worth looking into.....

asthma attack
 

so sorry this happened to you. Congratulations on your trailer purchase. Keep ,all the windows open for a few weeks and hopefully you won't have a problem again. I have asthma and have to use my inhaler more than I would like.

Serious Asthma Attack
 

I want to thank everyone who wrote a reply to this. You are wonderful and have helped me in a huge way. My doctor took blood samples on 7/15 and I should have the results on 7/29. He said my airways closed up and my throat is still sore and voice. Anyway hopefully we will get some answers and I can go camping. Again thank all of you for responding.

Hope you feel better!

severe asthma attack
 

am feeling much better thank you. have part of the results back from the asthma doctor and I am HIGHLY allergic to dust mites. so will have to get someone to thoroughly clean and vacuum the trailer but have to research how to get rid of them. will keep you posted

Dust mites
 

You will have to mop and wet clean the inside surfaces of the HiLo. Use hypo allergenic pillow cases and bedding. Search the internet for tips.

Janice, you might want to get a Hepa air filter, or two one for the camper and one for the house. We used one for years and we gave it to our oldest son who has breathing problems now and again.
Amazon.com: HEPA Air Purifiers: Home & Kitchen
Charlie