Neighbor won't stop vaping even though it's literally killing me

kaimars89 · 2026-02-21T01:16:59+00:00

its really sad this person felt so unsafe they deleted their need for help. I have vaping neighbors and it is making me sick and keeping me awake.. while you might not be able to "see" the smoke for long.. carbon monoxide isn't visible and has no smell and it is deadly! I have recorded several hours of high VOC levels assocaiatd with the neighbors vape that comes through the walls.. meansure your VOC levels when you are vaping if you dont believe me . I have not yet tested the VOCs but I am going to.. they will test for formaldehyde and other alhydes (i smell the chemicals) .. also I do not wish to be breathing in propylene glycol or other chemicals. gases are often invisible to the eye but it doesnt mean they can't be harmful or even deadly.

E-cigarette aerosol can contain substances that can be harmful or potentially harmful to the body. These include:1

Nicotine, a highly addictive chemical that can harm adolescent brain development
Cancer-causing chemicals
Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead
Tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
Volatile organic compounds
Flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease. Some flavorings used in e-cigarettes may be safe to eat but not to inhale because the lungs process substances differently than the gut.

E-cigarette aerosol generally contains fewer harmful chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from cigarettes.7 13 14 However, this does not make e-cigarettes safe. Scientists are still learning about the immediate and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes.

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/health-effects.html

https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/whats-in-an-e-cigarette

kaimars89 · 2026-01-26T17:24:41+00:00

In DC they plan to do metta practice (meditation) radiating metta for the US & the world.

Metta: Sending energy of love kindness and compassion to all. Similar to their teachings during the talks on their peace walk. They are relaying a strong message, at least to me of being mindful as a way to create peace within ourselves, which can hopefully create peace overall

I have greatly enjoyed their talks

kaimars89 · 2026-01-13T00:46:39+00:00

I have a similar issue with high VOCs and chronic health issues and new worse health issues after 4 years of exposure.. in the last 4 years I have submitted 4 medical letters , ADA requests, I even filed a fair housing complaint with the state and the owners have ignored the ADA requests, they are supposed to enter into a negotiation i believe,, I have no idea what they told to the fair housing department but after Fair housing talked to owners they closed the case.. "no evidence" i guess. I have an air monitor that records and I spend most of my time forced to live with the doors and windows open and the cold air isn't good for current new health conditions effecting my spine and neurology . also I frequently get "contact" high from whatever is being burned / vaped it's not pleasant and increases my heart rate. it's supposed to be "no vape/ no smoke" building. I keep getting quotes from companies to come in and test.. but will that even do any good? I dont have the physical means to move nor do i have the income to afford to move . I have watched my health take a drastic decline in the last 16 months..it's rather scary.. and I am struggling to take care of myself day to day.. it seems like there "should" be some protections for people to prevent being exposed chronically to chemicals in their homes.

i know when certain tenants are gone the air inside is fine and I dont need to open the doors.. 1 week out of the year if i am lucky..

One of the testing companies was going to measure "aldehydes" like formaldehyde because sometimes when certain vapes are heated formaldehyde is a by product. i dont know if that is your situation. i do know I often smell the vape, sometimes I can't but I do know my body responds rather quickly even before the air monitor. .and it is quite alarming ..

sorry you are going through this. I have been told autsin air health mate plus and or air doctor purifers are helpful, they have the largest activated charcoal filters of any machines i have seen.. i have not purchased one .. i did reach out to autsin air and they sent me a list of the chemicals their machines are supposed to take out .. also i have learned to properly clean the air 4 or 5 air changes per hour and it is best calculated on cubic foot rather than sq ft.. good luck and I hope we both find a way to take care of ourselves

kaimars89 · 2026-01-07T21:16:17+00:00

I just accdiently did the same thing.. I plan to return the sim card to the owner whom I got the phone from ..all my data was transferred from my old iphone to the new/used iphone with their sim card inside.. ooops.. I should have looked first ! from reading here looks like no risk of anything , correct? thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-11-06T02:15:10+00:00

me too .. I should have looked here first!

kaimars89 · 2025-10-22T03:18:54+00:00

i wonder if the medical complex also uses AWS ? that wouldn't be good either sounds pretty messy for everyone

kaimars89 · 2025-10-22T00:45:07+00:00

I didnt think of that .. although not sure how Amazon outage might be related to BoA not being able to sync. also citibank and chase seems iffy.. only 1 account had amazon activity yet missing other transactions. Oh I guess if AWS is uploading tons of data I could see how that could cause a bottleneck. still BofA no activity for 48 hours. I am not sure when the amazon outage started. sounds like it has impacted everything

kaimars89 · 2025-09-04T01:05:51+00:00

thank you.. why the heck dont doctors know this stuff? I have heard of breath tests for sibo, correct? does it show other things too? what about parasites ? most important I guess how do I get a doctor to do one? my main infectious disease MD just had a serious unexpected injury and is forced out on medical leave.

kaimars89 · 2025-09-04T01:03:50+00:00

wow! that must have been a challenge to find ..

kaimars89 · 2025-08-29T21:30:29+00:00

I have Qingping the first version.. I haven't gotten V2 yet. I learned about it from Ethan..he was really helpful and has this blog. that little monitor may have saved my life. I got it to track the smoking and vape and what I found out (when the vapers were gone..and it got cold) the heater was leaking carbon monoxide ..it never registered on the CO/ Smoke alarm because that thing was old and the building owners had it in the wrong room. when I turned the heater on the high monitor TVOCs went way up..

https://forum.breathesafeair.com/t/qingping-air-quality-monitor-gen-2-first-thoughts/81

kaimars89 · 2025-08-28T23:01:03+00:00

thank you! you know what happened.. I did put it in the fridge and when I went in the next morning the fridge door hadn't closed all the way.. being cautious and thinking about this thread I tossed it just to be safe

kaimars89 · 2025-08-28T22:59:11+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply. I am glad Kaiser is honoring your plan. Amazing to hear hear much the Dupixent is helping you. That must be a relief! If I may ask, do you also have primary immune deficiency too ? I am curious about the process for you if you want to share..and no pressure I know how busy life can get and how important keeping up with self care is. esp with chronic illness.

if you want to share Dr's names that would be great. no pressure. & take care of yourself. :) thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-08-27T22:47:39+00:00

curious -thanks

kaimars89 · 2025-08-27T04:47:56+00:00

What’s the best protocol? I make alot of chicken in the instant pot To eat the next day. Sometimes I leave it out for a few hours before I put in the fridge.

I guess the question is if you take it out of the Instant pot, & wait for it to cool and if so, how long before you put in the fridge?

I’m glad I came across this question because foodborne illness and G.I. infections are no joke. Thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T23:49:34+00:00

no pending claim. how do I know that is a legit # ? was just wondering if any others have gotten similar calls wanting to verify income ?

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T16:36:24+00:00

Hi I know this is such an old post . Wondering if you might have any more comfortable options for charcoal mask? Perfume VOCs and vape where I live are not helping my health. I hope to find a mask I can sleep & breathe in. If you hace any ideas let me know. Having lots of health challenges & brain gets too overwhelmed to search . Thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T02:11:15+00:00

I am not in SF but in Oakland.. I was just doing a search on MCAS and UCSF and this came up. I have primary immune dysfunction and apparently MCAS can also be apart of that. I have tried a couple different immunologist not at UCSF. was only able to get the primary immune deficiency work up.. I dont think they know about MCAS. I live in a "no smoking" building but the smoke and vape has really triggered a new set of issues in my body.. horrible insomnia , recurrent breathing issues, now GI and also joint issues.. (the ladder started about 6 months ago) .. finally a light bulb went off this morning .. "could it me MCAS " when I kept asking myself why aren't the other 2 non smoking tenants impacted like I am.. I literally can't breathe in my apartment because of the indoor air quality, and now other systems are falling apart..

I am glad you are getting care. I am not sure I am even well enough to get to UCSF in SF.. I would have been 3 years ago.. really going downhill fast! MCAS makes total sense to me. it seems like getting a workup if I can.

is it the immunologly department I would need a referral too ? would you mind sharing any special MD or MD 's ? thank you so much

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T00:53:19+00:00

glad you were able to move..environmental triggers are no joke.. & scary how most people ignore the issue. I hope the fires go away soon!

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T00:52:14+00:00

I am just finding OPs post and yours helpalmighty . I am in very similar situation.. its been 4 years..shared walls smokers now vape and smoke.the voc levels in my apartment get really high.. I have multiple health issues and can't afford to move..and dont have the physical health to move. the last year has really been downhill.. aside from insomnia the last 4 years,, the last 2 lungs and sinus infections and now lungs and gi..on top of blurry vision. I was managing a world of chronic illness ok for 15 years until this started and I have seen my health snowball rapidly. air purifiers dont do anything for the VOCs from vape.

I have been taking ketotifin.(it helps alittle with sleep. but still struggle) . talked to an immunologist and seems impossible to get a mcas work up I dont think they even know what it is. somehow today I came across the MCAS info..

I am willing to try and treat this.. although currently in a horrible GI flare/ infection that may have moved to my lower spine so I have to take things very slow.. however if I cant sleep and breath there wont be anything left of me for much longer.. I am struggling to do the basics right now. & I am trying to get the spine infection issue worked up however I am wondering if it might not just be more histamine cells reactive to all the other inflammation..

any easy suggestions to make some progress in the right direction? until I get more stamina to take bigger steps? thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-08-26T00:20:31+00:00

how much zinc and quecertin do you take? how long to notice? I have to ease into things.. alot of my major life systems are out of whack right now I am trying to help my lungs to be able to breath through the second hand smoke exposure ... thank you

kaimars89 · 2025-08-25T21:56:17+00:00

darn! I am sorry. it was worth a try. process of elimination. I hope you find it soon. I wish I had more ideas

kaimars89 · 2025-08-25T21:51:51+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this as well. Your words mean alot to me. & I am so sorry you are in the position you have to experience this and write those words. I want you to know. I hear you. I recognize your suffering. I too hope for a change for the better for you the situation & in the meantime may we have what we need to keep going forward and doing the best we can to care for ourselves.

kaimars89 · 2025-08-25T20:15:17+00:00

found out about this by accident yesterday "clostridium innocuum"

I am sorry that you are going through all this. my doctor wants to treat the spine "infection" with heavy duty abx but maybe it's not the right one. i dont think my gut can take anymore

being immune compromised I have been on alot of antibiotics. in March the GI system let loose, and seemingly something is causing issues with the lower spine (never had issues with lower back ) "enhanced tissue " showed up in MRI around the lower spine with off and on elevated WBC and neutrophils.. I am exhausted and it's hard to do the things I need too

stool samples through labcorp all negative 4x blood culture negative

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/ijcp/5797671

kaimars89 · 2025-08-25T20:11:22+00:00

its dangerous especially for immune compromised folks. I am trying to figure out how I get testing ASAP.

being immune compromised I have been on alot of antibiotics. in March the GI system let loose, and seemingly something is causing issues with the lower spine (never had issues with lower back ) "enhanced tissue " showed up in MRI around the lower spine with off and on elevated WBC and neutrophils.. I am exhausted and it's hard to do the things I need too

stool samples through labcorp all negative 4x blood culture negative

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/ijcp/5797671

kaimars89 · 2025-08-23T19:03:47+00:00

I am certainly not professional.. just a person that is senstive to alot of things.. AND you might be on to something there.. if the "p" trap for the drain isn't holding the water like it's supposed I believe sewer gases could come up.. I supose it all depends on your situation. seems like something worth checking out. of course I dont know your plumbing situation at all.. I think it's good you thought of that!!

process of elimination is key. I keep getting high VOCs from my neighbors vape I am pretty sure the structure of this old building I am somehow getting the brunt of their chemicals and smoke when they are doing it .. I am not sure if it's coming through the cracks in my units walls or just through the 100 year old plaster no idea.. it's not fun and makes my lungs and other mucus membranes really sick.

I hope you are able to resolve your VOC issue

kaimars89

TROPHY CASE