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ARE
YOU
ALLERGIC
TO
YOUR
RV?
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Your experiences with allergies while
traveling
in your RV
or
motorhome
...
Keeping your
allergies under control. Relative to living in the bigger space of a
house, how much worse are your allergies when traveling in
an RV? Do you think that RV
manufacturers should be more concerned with the
selection of materials?
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a message
Latest
comments
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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SB
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| Mold can be tested by surface samples and air samples; however, you must find a competent agency to do this. However, mold is everywhere, and elevated levels of mold are determined by comparison with mold levels in exterior air. Some molds are deadly. FEMA has some documents with discuss elevated mold levels and often the mold labs have their own guidelines. If you can prove that a manufacturing defect caused a water leak that caused mold to form you have a legal cause of action and should contact an attorney--or start first with the BBB, and see if they can help.
Formaldehyde can be tested with VOC air sampling. Again, you need a certified company to do such testing. There are governmental regulations for formaldehyde levels; however, sensitive people may have problems with formaldehyde even when levels are officially acceptable. Formaldehyde off-gassing should decrease over time, as others have noted. However, the glues and other chemicals in the particle board and accessories can cause other VOC's (volatile organic compounds) which are also allergens.
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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Clyde
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| formaldahide in older RV's that could be your trouble? After hurricane katrina, we now have none of that, so call clyde at 904/338/5893 i sell new and pre-owned RV's love to have your trade in...
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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bandy
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| We have a 2002 Cougar we bought 2 years ago and every time we us it we all end up with headaches,sneezing,coughing,and watery eyes we have checked for leaks can't find anything is it mold, glue or what does anyone have any suggestions on what we should do to take care of the problem.
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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RV Shopper
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| There are 2 issues (and possibly more), but mold is very common w/ RV's as is off-gassing of toxic chemicals from construction materials. Carpet, fabrics, vinyl, plywood, glues, adhesives, foam - all off-gas toxins that can cause burning eyes, throat, allergic reactions, and worse. If you want to learn more about the effects of these, check out a good book that has helped us in our research called Prescriptions for a Healthy House by Paula Baker-LaPorte, and also EWG.org (specifically interesting is the Human Toxome Project). We have found 2 trailer companies that are trying to move toward being non-toxic: Earthbound RV, and Evergreen RV. Our kids have issues w/ methylation - or processing toxins, so these will be our only options for now. Perhaps the book mentioned above will help those who are looking to renovate their RVs to make them healthier for themselves.
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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Upset Cajun
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| We purchased a North Trail by Heartland in October 2009, it has been in the shop longer than we were able to use it. On our last service repair a water leak was fond on the upper front panel on the out side of the camper. The camper was repaired and the dealership delivered the camper to our home. About six days later I was restocking the camper and found mold growing in three compartments under the table. I have contacted the dealership and the manufacture about the problems. The manufacture would like to bring the camper back to the factory without testing the mold and having me sign a transport agreement that has we can't refuse to accept the camper once it was repaired. I have told them that I would not sign the agreement with out the items removed from it. They have refused to pick up the camper without the agreement signed. They have also refused to reword the agreement. Does anyone have any information that could help my situation or has had the same type of problems?
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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Taz
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| I bought a new 2008 keystone Cougar and for the past month have had severe odor problems. The odor is coming from the back room and smells like mold. This causes coughing, sneezing, headaches and sore throats.
The odor seems to lighten up when it rains and when it warms up, you cannot even stand to be inside the trailer.
I have had it at the shop and they pulled up the carpets, took out the back wall, did a pressure test for leaks externally and internally. They can't find the problem but they know it is there.
No water leakage any where.
Have any of you had this experience? I do not know what the dealer is going to do nor the manufacturer.
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| Re: RVs and alergies
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Mary
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| I am allergic to just about everything and am taking 2 shots twice a week which seemed to keep the problem under control in our house with hardwood floors and leather furniture. I am now living in the RV full time and my allergies are so much worse, especially the coughing. I vacuum every other day, including the upholstery, carpets, and ceiling which is carpet also. Nothing seems to help. Does anyone have any suggestions other than moving out? Are there RVs or travel trailers out there that don't have any carpeting? Thank you
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| RE: Moldy trailer issues
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lou garou
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| shalom, just did a search, lots of sites that may be able to help you. but i think your best bet is to get in touch with hazmat, there should be one in your area and write/see them about your problem. if they condem the trailer, you have something to bring to the people you bought yours from for a complete refund, and go someplace else for another trailer. AND STAY OUT OF THE TRAILER.
be safe, lg.
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| RE: Moldy trailer issues
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lou garou
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| shalom, new here, but not new to mold. as a former house painter i used to run across this stuff a lot, its not mildew and harder to kill if it doesnt kill you first. there are pros out there that can help,but its costly due to the risk involved. this is for hazmat, the company that wants to bleach and kilz it are insane. ive walked away from many jobs if i found it anywhere inside or out. its mostly inside where its warm and can breed and die and the residew thats left behind is the problem. you need a good lawyer.
be safe, lg
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| RE: Burning eyes and throat
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Henry
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| To Tonya, There are just so many people having the same reaction. Send your info to rv-formaldehyde@comast.net and they will send it along to a legal firm conducting a study for a class action suit.
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| RE: Increased asthma and allergies with RV
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Henry
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| To Margaret P - It is becoming more evident and alarming that we are all experiencing the effects of formaldehyde out gassing. A firm is working on a possible class action now send your info to rv-formaldehyde@comcast.net
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| RE: Eyes, throat, breathing problems when in RV
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Henry
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| To Miranda: It seems many of us are exhibiting the same symptoms. Ours was conclusive that it was formaldehyde out gassing. Study being conducted on possible class action suit. Try contacting rv-formaldehyde@comcast.net
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| RE: Eyes, throat, breathing problems when in RV
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Henry
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| To Barb: Have you checked out the possibility of formaldehyde out gassing? What year and manufacturer is your coach?
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| RE: Eyes, throat, breathing problems when in RV
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Barb
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| We had our first RV for 2 years and I developed such severe allergies we traded it in, and no more allergy problems... so I thought... we've had this one for 2 years and guess what??? the last 2 trips my allergies have started up again... I am open to any suggestions. thanks
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| Moldy trailer issues
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Carbill
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| My husband & I bought a brand new trailer last year; have used it one week last summer. Went to pack it to go camping this last July (2007); camper had quite a bit of mold under the dinette seat. The camping business we purchased it through cut a hole in the wall under our direction to find mold in the frame work (2x4's). Our daughter has a medically diagnosed mold allergy. The mold is in the slide out part of the camper. The manufacturer wants to wash it off, put some killz on it, fix the hole in the wall and give it back to us. There are also stains under the carpet by the dinette that apppear to go further along the outside long wall of the slide out. The carpeting also had mold on it. We feel they should give us a new camper - we paid almost 20 thousand dollars for it. The camping place we bought it from said that we could trade it in but we would loose alot of money on it because they would have to tell future purchasers about the mold problem. Why should we take the hit? Are there any other people out there having mold issues such as these? HELP!!!
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| Eyes, throat, breathing problems when in RV
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Miranda
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| Whew-where to start? Eyes, throat-breathing problems so bad that I can't sleep at all! So camping trips are fun in our household! I'm fine through out the day, but once evening comes and we all get settled in our huge RV-10 mins and I'm a mess! The RV is used and the previous owners had cats-that lived inside in a seasonal campsite during the summer months! We shampooed and cleaned - and cleaned- and aired out - and did I mention cleaned? I need advice-we currently have this awesome Super slide out for sale because of my problems! Are there any good filtration sysytems or filters or duct cleaner or just plain shampoo out there??? Help me please! Should manufacturers be more concerned about the selection of materials?: Yes. Worse in RV?: 5/5.
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| Arizona room
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Microsoft Warrior
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| We are looking for a new or used Carriage. The only real requirement is it MUST have an Arizona room. The Arizona room is the most awesome thing Ive seen in an RV, and I think it will help my wife's Seasonal affective disorder!
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| RE: Are you allergic to your RV?
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danamite
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| The partical board used for cabinets in RVs was my best guess. Only spent a week in an RV in Hawaii & we had to stay outside or keep windows open all the time. Pressed wood or partical board is filled with formaldehyde/ chemicals & has been known to cause allergic reactions.
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| Increased asthma and allergies with RV
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Margaret P
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| I have had increased asthma, chemical sensitivities and allergy symptoms since working in an RV that is our mobile clinic for a major teaching university in Davis, California. I have been trying to establish a Worker's Compensation case based on this with some difficulty. I would be interested to know if anyone can point me to any scientific research or documentation on how prevalent this is. My asthma doctor felt the biggest factor though was the diesel it runs on. I keep the allergies under control with antihistamines - dye free Benedryl but then I find it hard to function because of the sedation and arrythmias it causes.
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| RE: Burning eyes and throat
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Marie
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| We had the same experience with our travel trailer when it was new. I think the problem comes from formaldehyde they use in the panels and in the resins they use. I did some research on this and found that the emissions can last for about a year and then gradually ease. This was probably our experience too. Certainly the problem was much worse for the first few months. We're not fulltimers and we only used the RV a few times in the first year. The problems were bad to start with and then I noticed them less and less.
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