Help--daughter ill with pneumonia, caused by sewer gas?

drkyme · Mar 9, 2012

Hi, all. I'm a mom and I'm looking for help. My daughter, 19 and a college student, lives alone in a one-room studio attached to a garage on a ranch-style house. She moved in 2 months ago and shortly thereafter she noticed a sewer odor. It has become stronger and stronger and simultaneously daughter developed a severe cough.

Well, 3 weeks ago she was awakened at 7 am to a team of plumbers working on the pipes in the garage and the common wall her studio shares. This is where daughter's bed headboard is. Daughter thought nothing of it, but a few days later--10 days ago--she developed a very high fever (104) and ended up in the ER. She was diagnosed with pneumonia [fluid in her lungs], given antibiotics, and told to come back home (to us) and rest. Daughter did not do so, she returned to her studio.

Well, she called me 2 days ago and asked me to come up (she is an hour away) and smell her apartment, especially the bathroom and the common wall where the plumbers had been working. Both were pretty bad, and using Febreeze, etc. made no improvement. I told her to call the landlady (who lives on the premises) and tell the landlady about the sewer smell. The landlady replied "oh, just turn the shower on several times throughout the day and run the bathroom vent fan 24/7".

Daughter has been doing so for the past 48 hours. However, I am concerned that this is no way for my daughter to continue to live, without resolution to the problem. Her pneumonia is not improving. Daughter has also heard mice/rats running through this same common wall and notified the landlady, who is bringing an exterminator to "check the attic", though she told daughter there has never been a rodent problem before.

I emailed the landlady (as I am co-signer on the lease) and asked what is going on, when will the problems be corrected, but the landlady--a lawyer!--has not replied. Not only that, but the last time I was there I noticed there was no smoke detector in the unit! This unit is an add-on and was not intended to be an efficiency but merely storage space.

My daughter does not want to leave the studio as it has a beautiful location in a wealthy neighborhood right on the Bay. She says I am overreacting, the pneumonia and poor health is all a coincidence. But I am really concerned about the health of my daughter.

Please advise.

havasu · Mar 9, 2012

I understand your concerns, but is it your intention of breaking the lease or just rectifying the situation?

I see a few red flags with your daughter's situation. First off, smoke alarms are required by law on all rental units. You can contact the fire department for the specifics of this law if you choose to dig further into it.

Secondly, the presence of rodent droppings could subject your daughter to Hantavirus, which could lead to the deadly Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome.

Regarding the sewer gas smells emitting from the common wall, I'm not an MD or a licensed plumber, but the presence of methane gas can not be too good for anyone with pneumonia.

If I were in your shoes, her health should be your number one priority. Remove her immediately until her health improves and then I would consult with an attorney specializing with housing/rental agreements.

Keep in mind that I am not a licensed plumber and when our experts check in here, they will have much more information regarding the plumbing problems.

Good luck on your situation and please keep us informed with the outcome.

LiQuId · Mar 9, 2012

well, what Can a guy say.. Mice in walls and sewer gas stench sounds like a ( pardon the Term here ) **** hole to me.

Sewer gas is not good and in high concentrations CAN be leathal, especially if you are living in the enviornment continuously and allowing it to build up in your system Could potentially have a stacking effect and lead to symptoms. Mice and vermin Crap and Urine also causes Neurological conditions and Can kill if inhaled. I wear a noish reperator if I am working on a sweage lift station and there is a ventilating procedure that is taken seriously when entering a sewer. Hydrogen sulphide is the gas you should consider, Wiki it and Decide for yourself if this is good to breathe.

You could bring the State of the building up with a health organization and It would likely be forced to undergo renovation or forclose.

If it is a proper Add on it must be maintained under the landlord tenancies act ( in canada thats what its called anyways ) it must, Asside from obviouslly not venting sewer gas into a unit ( did I mention that these gases Can Aslo become Explosive ? ) have.

A full bath ( toilet, LAv, and shower or tub )
A kitchen Area with a Kitchen sink

ITS OWN hot water tank, and its own source of ventilation and heat.

also the Fire detector and in the case of rental units a tested and approved ABC fire extinguisher ( or in recent times a Fire supresion system )

if it doesnt meet all of these then ( in canada, i dont know about us. ) it fails to be a legal rental unit and you could get out of lease and get all you Damage deposit and such returned... also You COULD vacate immediatelly Without notice since it Is not a legal suite.. carefull when dealing with a lawyer though... Know your rights and have a better lawyer.

Good luck .

LiQuId · Mar 9, 2012

havasu beat me to it ...

drkyme · Mar 9, 2012

Thanks to both of you.

The lease is "only" for 3 more months. And I'm sure that the landlady would rather have daughter leave the unit early as opposed to fixing all the problems. Less $$, less headache.

By the way, there is no kitchen sink, daughter has to use a bathroom basin or the shower drain. I already (anonymously) called our local Code Enforcement and they told me there were numerous violations and they wanted to send someone out right away to inspect and write citations.

My biggest hurdle is convincing daughter to move out for her own health reasons. Being 19, on her own, and in what appears to be an upscale studio is far more preferable (to her) than returning back to the college campus. My hubby and I told her about the Hydrogen Sulfide but it fell on deaf ears.

I think my most convincing argument to daughter is that her health will not will not improve in the current situation. Daughter won't like that.

ddocfletcher · Mar 9, 2012

Hydrogen Sulfide (Hydrosulphuric acid) exposure of 10-20- parts per million causes painful eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, gastrointestinal disturbance, loss of appetite, dizziness. Prolonged exposure may cause bronchitis and pneumonia.

Since it is slightly heavier than air it will settle to low lying areas. Like a bed. At low concentrations it will have a rotten egg smell but at higher concentration a sweet smell. It deadens and paralyzes the sense of smell, so it can be present and you won't smell it.

If you suspect something is causing you harm remove yourself from it if possible. Your health a very high price to pay for Ocean views.