Environmental Exposures - Natural Gas Leak in the Home

One of the hardest parts of my story for me to reconcile is the fact that for 2.5 years, I was being exposed to natural gas from leaks in the basement of the home I had purchased and moved into. I was already not well when I moved into the home and so when my condition worsened, I did not suspect the house. I only thought that whatever-it-was-that-was-wrong-with-me was getting worse. When I first moved into the home I would still be up for a Friday night out. However, after a year, the thought of going anywhere on a Friday night sounded impossible. I just wanted to sleep. Little did I know that sleeping in my own home was making me worse. To make matters worse, because of the fatigue, I requested to be able to work 2 days per week from home and began doing that in Fall of 2019. 

One would expect that a natural gas leak would have the sulfur or rotten-egg smell that we have come to know of. There was no such smell in my home. Instead, my home smelled a lot like a card shop or boutique. The smell was of vanilla and cinnamon, but heavy. I just thought that prior owners had burned candles and somehow that smell had gotten into the walls. One of my sisters later told me that she always had a headache after visiting my house. My symptom was major fatigue, almost feeling drugged. Walking the 10 feet from the couch to the kitchen seemed like a major task. 

The natural gas leak was found by a building biologist when I was inspecting the home for mold and those tests were coming back negative (I had had a prior mold remediation in the Fall of 2019 which addressed that for the most part). The building biologist's tool registered in parts per million levels that should have been in parts per billion. 

The leaks were found within the furnace, at the shutoff of the hot water heater, and --the worst one in my opinion-- in a pipe that someone had used the wrong fittings and plumber's tape (!!) on. While levels tested much better after these leaks were sealed (at a cost of under $150), on visits to the house I would occasionally smell that smell. We then shut off the gas to the dryer that was not in use and the only gas being used was for a gas water heater. 

The last time we visited the house, the air smelled FRESH.  The overall smell of the house now is that of old wood flooring which is fitting for the home.

TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read):

• A building biologist can help you do an in-depth inspection of your home to determine if it is impacting your health.  Their inspection addresses different issues than a typical home inspection.
• Natural gas leaks do not always have that signature smell.  The ones in my basement smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, but heavy.
• Fatigue or headaches may be symptoms to watch out for.