Lung Cancer and New Carpets

[Bow-19]

Just thought I would tell you about our experience. We bought a new carpet and due to the smell from the carpet and the filaments that came off the carpet both my and my partners breathing were affected. I have stage 4 lung cancer and my partner has had asthma since he was a child.

We thought we were treating ourselves to a natural new wool carpet but it has turned into a nightmare. I started to cough regularly and it affected by breathing. My partners breathing was affected too and he was treated with steroids, antibiotics and an inhaler. We were so poorly that we had to move out of our house for a week, leave the windows open even when we weren't about and have the carpet removed.

I thought I would post this to make people think before buying a new carpet. It's not an experience I want anyone else to have to go through unnecessarily. The effect of the carpet on your health, the cost of the carpet and staying elsewhere and the effect of all the disruption on your health too.

I have spoken to someone today who had a similar experience, she had recarpeted several rooms in her home and had to move out for 6 weeks to live with her son, whilst her carpets settled in. She said she was prescribed five lots of antibiotics during this time!!

Anyone else had similar experiences?

Best wishes X

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hello Bow-19,

this sounds like a terrible experance, i hope that you and your husband are feeling better. Thank you for highlighting this issue.

Kind regards

Roy Castle Helpline

[Bow-19 in reply to RoyCastleHelpline]

Thanks for replying. I am ok now and he is heading in the right direction but hasn't fully recovered yet.

[Ghost-by-the-coast]

Did the fitter use tinned spray? If you read the health and safety blurb on those cans it usually says something like,'outdoor or well ventilated use only' so it's great for carpeting your porch. If you air the room for two or three days the glue will set hard enough for the vapours to stop.

[Ghost-by-the-coast in reply to Ghost-by-the-coast]

*tinned spray glue.

[Bow-19 in reply to Ghost-by-the-coast]

Ghost by the coast

No he didn't use spray. It was the filaments from the carpet and whatever the carpet was treated with. I am unsure what that was. I will try and find out from the manufacturers.

[YorkiieJo123]

Sorry to learn of your carpet troubles, I am about to recarpet downstairs however, were the fibres of both carpets wool? I wondered whether a manmade fibre would be less susceptible to fibre shedding.

I had considered laminate but rejected it because I considered carpet would be warmer and quieter.

Wishing you well.

Yorkiiejo123

[Bow-19 in reply to YorkiieJo123]

Yorkiiejo123,

Our carpet was 80 per cent wool. I am unsure what the lady who I met carpet was made of. We have a wood laminate for in our lounge and plan to do that in the room that we had carpeted.

We had planned to do the downstairs and the stairs too so I am glad that we didn't make an even bigger mistake.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I would definitely make sure you have the opportunity to air the rooms that you have carpeted well for a few days after the carpet is fitted.

Best wishes x

[YorkiieJo123 in reply to Bow-19]

Thank you, I have a very powerful carpet cleaner and I wondered if after it is laid I went over it immediately.

Thanks for raising the topic.

[Bow-19 in reply to YorkiieJo123]

I did ask chemdry if they would clean it for us and the man said that making the carpet wet could make the smell stronger. He asked me to phone him after a week but we had decided to remove the carpet at that stage. I am not an expert though. I just thought I would raise our problems as I didn't want people having health problems that they might not need to have.

[JanetteR57]

Our last new carpet (last year) was deliberately purchased from recycled materials (manmade) as it was going in my bedroom also had Karndean flooring in bathroom which is incredibly practical.

[Bow-19 in reply to JanetteR57]

We have kardean in the lounge and like it. I will look up recycled carpet too. Thanks