I purchased a new home in June. Since moving in, I have developed a constant contact dermatitis, that recovers fully upon leaving the home for a few days. I recently decided it was either solve the problem or sell the house, so I removed all the carpet and glued down cheap hardwood flooring. Within a few days my problems were completely alleviated. I ordered formaldehyde free hardwood flooring and the took weeks which it took to arrive I continued to have no problems. It has been 3 days since the flooring has been installed, and my problems are quickly returning and worsening. How could this be??

Products used

Wood - Sideways flooring Bart Maple - http://www.plyboo.com/sideways.html

Underlayment - http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/utility/showProduct/?objectID=3618

No glue.

Where did I go wrong again? I feel like I just spent 9,000 only to start my problem over.

Thanks

Check carefully for other things that might have been involved. Did you move things out of the house to remove the carpet that were moved back in after the new floor went down? Were the doors/windows open more during this time? Almost seems like it might not be the flooring but I would have started with the carpet too ;-)

The windows were just opened initially once everything was removed. Nothing was brought back in that would have caused the problem.

Aren't there tests for determining what it is that you are sensitive to?

Contact dermatitis means it's something you're touching, not something you're breathing, but it may or may not be something in the room air such as molds, yeasts, or dust mites.

Monitor the relative humidity in several parts of the house- keep it above 30%, but under 50%. In winter lowering the RH is usually achievable by running bathroom & or kitchen exhaust fans, but when the outdoor dew points are over ~55F you'll need to apply mechanical dehumidification. Below 50% RH dust mites can't reproduce, populations aren't sustained. Below 30% respiratory & sinus issues become more likely- keep it in the 30-50 zone.

Have the place inspected for mold in the stud-cavities.

Have the place blower-door tested, and if the natural ventilation rate is under 1ACH @ 50pa, buy a heat-recovery ventilation system and ventilate to at least 3ACH.

If you run high ventilation rates (more than 3ACH) and are keeping it between 30-50% relative humidity and you're still symptomatic it's probably not something in the floors/walls, but something else. Something in the water, perhaps? Often times the triggers take time to build up or have to be over some minimum before you're fully symptomatic, and figuring it out may take some time. If it's in the water supply, it may be a seasonal or intermittent thing, making it even more difficult to track down. As an experiment try cranking the hot water storage temp up to 140F (be careful not to scald yourself if you don't have a tempering valve on the output-required by code in some places, not in others), which would reduce the pathogen potential.

You might also try putting the interior at a slight positive pressure - just to see if it is something being pulled through the walls/floor/ceiling.

I am certain that it is the home causing the problem. I don't believe you have to actually come in direct contact with something to have an allergy reaction. Off-gassing is an easy example of this.

After I removed all the flooring and had only concrete flooring in the home, my skin and warm sensations resolved quickly and completely. I may install a fresh air duct system to see if that helps.

I don't believe it would be anything related to the water system as I recently lived on the same street for several years. The water is also city water.

The very definition of contact dermititis involves skin contact with the causal agent, not something that you inhaled or swallowed. Mold spore might be inhaled OR swallowed and cause many different types allergic reactions (and may even sensitize you to skin contact with the agent in the process), but if it's contact dermatitis the offending spores were either in or on something that made contact with your skin.

Nobody is saying it isn't the home that's the problem, but the particulars of WHAT is in the home that's causing the problem isn't always clear.

so there is concrete under the flooring...could there be moisture in the concrete that condenses on the under side of the flooring and causes mold? Do you know if prior to pouring the the concrete, the builder installed foam insulation and/or installed a vapor barrier?

It would normally take more than a few days for a mold issue to get going under wood flooring with an unsealed uninsulated slab, but not impossible. If there's that much moisture coming through the slab it would probably be in the studwalls as well.

What happens if you rub a piece of your flooring on your skin? I have a reaction to the dust when cutting some tropical hardwoods.

I think the key is to test before buying.

Many other substances can cause allergic reactions, including hair dyes or straighteners; the metal nickel, which is found in jewelry and belt buckles; tanning agents in leather; latex rubber; and citrus fruit, especially the peeling.The fragrances in soaps, shampoos, lotions, perfumes, and cosmetics can cause a reaction.
it's not the home, but the thing inside the home.