Does new carpet cause allergies

Answer 1

New carpet doesn't cause Allergies, per se, but it definitely can make them worse. New carpet does a lot of "off-gassing" - which means letting off chemicals. Since carpeting can contain as many as 130 different chemicals, many of them cancer-causing, you will be exposed to a lot of chemicals in the air while the carpet is new.

Allergies are caused by organic materials: plant pollen, pet hair, the droppings of dust mites, mold, feathers, fur, etc. If you have allergies to organic materials, your immune system only has so much tolerance for them - it's a bucket that can run over.

If your immune system's bucket is near full, and then you are exposed to chemicals that are also irritating (but not "allergens" in the way that physicians define them), you're going to react. The chemicals - off gassing materials from carpeting, a new car, new paint, cigarette smoke, etc. - will cause a big reaction, and you will be miserable.

The reaction can vary. It might be an asthmatic gasping for air, or a headache, or hives, or sneezing and watery eyes. All of these are allergic responses.

If you'd like to know more about carpeting and allergies, I invite you to view my blog at http://nicolettet.wordpress.com or my website's special allergy page at http://www.toussaintimages.com/SpecialNeeds.html. (I am an interior design who specializes in interiors designed to be non-toxic and disability-friendly.)

Answer 2

Yes. If you are intolerant or allergic to any substance in the carpet or placed onto the carpet which can be transmitted to your person through contact or aspiration, then you can be allergic or intolerant which usually causes hives. Try an over the counter anti-histhamine cream or a low dose tablet (usually used for hayfever or allergic rhinitis) and see if it helps.