Hi everyone, I hope you guys can help give me some input on this. We had moved in to our new home in March of 2007 and for some time on and off I would mention to my husband that I thought I smelled gas in our home. I usually smelled it around the stove but very faintly, and somewhat stronger inside the oven when I would open it. Sometimes when I'm out running errands for most of the day and when I would walk back in to the house I would smell it. However, my husband could never smell it, even when we were standing next to each other. I thought maybe I was imagining things since the smell would come and go. I would ask my husband to please call the PG&E co. to send someone out to check to see if we really did have a gas leak, but he never got around to it. Besides he thought I was just being overly sensitive to how the stove worked "Normally" anyway. So Finally one day I had enough and insisted that he call and get someone out here to check. As I suspected, we had a gas leak ....behind our stove. I'm not sure for how long we had been breathing in the gas but I had been smelling it for quit some time. Now I should also tell you that we have been trying to have another baby since March of 2008 and have not been successful. We've had one miscarriage at 5-6 weeks in April of 2008 and have not been able to get pregnant again til this past Thanksgiving. Everything seemed to be going fine, but then at 8 weeks I painfully lost the baby, again. What I'm wondering is if there is a link between the gas leak and us not being able to successfully have another baby? And is there any other health risks or symptoms of long term gas exposure? And is there anything I can do or should do to detox or clean or rid my family's body's of the damage the gas may have caused? I tried looking it up on the internet but have not had much luck finding any info other than that we could have had an explosion, which I'm very grateful did not happen. Please help, any info, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
J. A.
Thank you so much to everyone who has responded to my posting, I am grateful and appreciative of all your concern, advice and support. We have had the PG&E guy come out to fix the leak once but I still smelled some gas, so we called him back and he came out 2 days later and found a leak again in the same spot. No one else could smell the gas leak but me and the guys gas detector. Also, we have called our pediatrician and he has said that the body is really good at detoxing and healing itself and the best thing to do for my daughter is to get her lots of fresh air and water. As for myself and our miscarriage and trying to get pregnant, I am as well detoxing with lots of lemon water, herbal teas, and wheatgrass juice, as well as getting lots of fresh air. I told my midwife about our situation and she is looking further into it and will get back to me, I have an appt with her this week. So again thank you so much for everything, you guys are a blessing.
Sincerely,
J. A.
If I were you, I'd go straight to my ob/gyn, explain about the gas leak, if the miscarraiges were at all related & ask for tests. Don't wait for more answers from any other moms, just schedule an appointment. Best of luck!
I'm sorry for your losses. I'm glad you finally insisted on checking it out!
According to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_long_term_affects_...
What are the long term affects of natural gas exposure on a persons health?
None, natural gas is not toxic
Natural gas is composed primarily of methane. Methane is not toxic (or carcinogenic)and should produce no adverse health effects. However, a sufficient environmental oxygen concentration (approximately 19.5%) must be maintained to prevent asphyxiation. Aside from this, only the flammable and explosive properties of natural gas pose a threat.
I am sorry about your miscarriages. I would try researching on the internet under health risks of a gas/PG and E worker. After my sis got cancer twice in her 20's she researched cosmetology this way and found out they have the 2nd highest rate of cancer because of the chemicals they use.
Good luck and dont worry too much natural gas is one of the cleanest.
Do have it checked, there is something about soapy water that will show up on the valve by bubbling at the leak...Do you have propane? we do, and when it is low or just filled it will smell.I am sure it is not healthy, i hate all the pollution we breathe here as it is!
Oh my goodness. Reading your story is almost like what happened to me a few years ago. I'm not sure how long the gas leak was in our house, but it was at least 2 1/2 years and it's possible that is was even longer. I miscarried my second pregnancy and was really sick (not morning sickness, actually very unwell) during my next two pregnancies. I was really tired all the time and my kids and I all took very long naps. When my mom came to help me when I had my 3rd baby, she couldn't get off the sofa because she was so sleepy the whole time she was in my house. Over the next 2 1/2 years, my kids all took very long naps and I was always very tired and unwell. Every time my mom came to visit, she would get sick. Finally, my father-in-law came and stayed with us and he smelled the gas. I called PG&E and they came out the same day. We had a leak in our gas line to the dryer. We all felt so much better once that gas was out of our house. My naturopath did give us a supplement called Hepagin (I think that's how it's spelled) but she seemed to think that once the source was gone, it should clear out of our systems fairly quickly. I know several people said that your miscarriages are not related to the gas leak, but I think common sense dictates that anytime you are exposed to things that your body was not meant to be around puts an extra weight on your immune system. While it may or may not be directly related, it can definitely put strain on your body and very well could have contributed to the miscarriages. It is important to avoid as much toxic exposure as possible and that includes the toxins in the food you eat, etc. There is much you can do to help your body function optimally. I hope getting the leak fixed helps your overall health and that you have the family that you desire. Children are such a blessing. Enjoy your little girl.
Hi J., very sorry to hear about your losses. But, they are not related to a gas leak at all. "Gas leaks" are carbon monoxide exposures. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen. So depending upon the ventilation of your home, you may have been breathing decreased levels of oxygen. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (asphyxiation) are a headache, confusion, diziness and in higher concentrations unconsciousness and death.
The treatment is to remove oneself from the impacted area and breathe more oxygen, and obviously to have the leak repaired (which may require you to stay out of the home until it is repaired) and to increase ventilation (open windows and use fans to turn the air over in your home). There are no longterm effects from carbon monoxide exposure, all effects are acute (short term meaning the results show up quickly: headache, unconsciousness, death).
Here's a link to PG&E's carbon monoxide page:
http://www.pge.com/myhome/edusafety/gaselectricsafety/car...
but by all means contact your doctors for further information.
I am a Hazardous Materials Specialist for a very progressive local agency. I have worked in this fied for 13 years and have an Environmental Science degree from UC Berkeley. We field carbon monoxide calls all the time.
Hope this helps,
M.
Hi J.,
Isn't Carbon minoxide from the gas that has already been burned? Natural gas (methane) is the gas before it has been burned, and yes, it is toxic, because where there is gas there is a lack of oxygen. Not to mention the toxic chemical added to it to give gas the "smell". Lack of Oxygen is toxic to humans at all levels. In fact it was proven by Otto (he won a prize for it) that cancer is a lack of oxygen in the cells.
I do know that lemon juice in your water will detox your liver, and detoxing the liver can is a good thing.
Baking soda (1/2 t in water before bed)(or Alka Seltzer GOLD) can be useful for detox, as well as bentonite clay, but not sure if these could be geared toward methane poisoning. Baking soda does oxygenate so I think it would be a good solution.Check out molybenum on the web, that's coming to mind for some reason.
Hey, you gotta check out this site! It has amazing testimony on natural gas poinsoning and it also has a ton of links. i think it might be what your looking for:
http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lnaturalgas.htm
also:
I read that L. Ron Hubbard has a book called "clean Body;clean mind" that has detoxing in it. Maybe you can find it at the library?
Best wishes and God bless you.
Gail
Hi J.,
Call/ask your pediatrician and ob/gyn. N.
J., Im so sorry to hear about your losses. I had one miscarriage before my first son and i still think about it. To go through 2 or more my heart goes out to you and others who have had to go through it. ugh!
Secondly, I agree with other responses, Get all fo you checked out even your husband. Also, ask your dr if there is a link to the gas and your miscarriages. and last, next time your husband won't take the responsibility like calling PG&E because of a long time gas leak, I suggest you call them yourself next time. Its free for them to come out. Its better to be safe then sorry. I can only imagine what your bill must be now depending on how long the leak was going. I smelled gas ouside my house one day and could not figure it out. I thought the main was broken. I called PGE and we found out it was the gas bbq. The tank was not turned off all the way.
Good luck to you.
SAHM/Zombie 39, with a super funny 3yr son and a 6month old son who is full of smiles and bubbles and doesn't like to sleep much and eats like a horse. I love being a mom and its the hardest job I have ever loved. A glass of wine helps me at night. LOL
I found this article on the net, it's interesting. I think I would get rid of my gas stove and get an electric one. I always loved cooking on gas until I got an electric stove... I love it much more.
When my kids were little I often worried about the gas stove. This article does state that gas fumes can be harmful to a fetus, you should ask a doctor as well. I think they should be able to do a blood test to see if you have residual toxins from that long time exposure, however in general, our bodies are pretty efficient at filtering things out.
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/articles-de...
Dear J.,
I am so sorry for your losses. I know how very painful going through that is. I lost a baby at 6 months and they never did know what happened for sure. It was horrible, but I just kept telling myself that sometimes God knows what he's doing. It didn't really make it hurt any less, but sometimes, there just is no anwer.
Regarding the gas leak, I don't think that would have anything to do with it. The leak was enough for you to smell, but not enough that your daughter became ill from it for instance. Also, think about all the women who work for PG&E and work on gas lines and repair things.
We moved into a rental after my divorce and I was too afraid to try to light my pilot light on the heater, so I called PG&E. The nicest woman came out and made sure it was clean and all the lines were fine. She reassured me so much that I even replaced a thermo-coupler on my gas hot water heater all by myself! I was also terrified of the gas grill. The woman that owns the business in town that sells the propane was awesomely reassuring also. She deals with it hundreds of times a day and has a slew of kids and grandkids who are always running around up there.
You should talk to your doctor to be sure, but I don't know that the gas leak was connected to your miscarriages. My doctor told me it was best not to try to get pregnant too soon after having a miscarriage, but your doctor knows you and your history best. I know that worrying about the gas exposure is making you nervous too. If you ever suspect a gas leak or think something is wrong with a pilot light, etc, call PG&E and they will send someone out. I have been very fortunate in getting nice and knowledgeable technicians who have explained things to me in such a way that I'm not afraid of things like I used to be.
I will keep you in my thoughts and hope that you will receive the blessing of another baby soon. Take care!
Hi J.- I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. I know that must have been very difficult for you!
One quick question... Why didn't YOU just pick up the phone and call PG&E the moment you suspected the gas leak? Or at some point?
I haven't heard of a link between gas exposure and infertility, but I can't imagine that it has been good for you in ANY way! First off, talk to your daughter's pediatrician and let her know that she has been exposed for X period of time just so she can get checked out and make sure everything is okay. Her body is much more sensitive to that kink of exposure than you and your hubby. Secondly, talk to your OB... Express your concern and see what she says. Like I said, there may not be a direct study or link to your misscarrages, but she may be able to advise you accordingly.
One thing I truly think helps in detoxing the body from harmful substances/exposure is getting colonics. It helps cleanse all of the toxin build-up in your body.
Good luck to you!!!
Hi Jaime,
Sorry to hear about your loss.
I would call PG&E yourself and have them come out to make sure you are not being exposed to a toxic gas.
I am a wellness consultant and the company I represent is addressing wellness homes to protect us from our environment in the house.
I live in a wellness home and feel great every day.
If you would like to learn how to stay healthier in a healthy home email me and I will share with you.
There will be a doctor event this Sat in Santa Cruz on the wellness home if you are interested.
Have a great day.
N. Marie
These questions would by better for your Doctor and ob/gyn.
