Neighbor's renovations causing headaches/nausea? What could it be?

Question

My next-door neighbor (in an apartment building) is having his apartment renovated this week. Walls are being removed, installed, etc. Since yesterday morning, I've been getting terrible headaches and nausea. The first I would attribute to the noise alone- except that my boyfriend has been getting headaches since Monday, and he isn't here during the day when they're working. There's a sort of fine dust in the air, but it's not terribly noticeable. Our building was built in 1905 and the management company did some very on-the-cheap renovations to the building in 1987, so I'm pretty sure that none of the potentially hazardous Victorian building and painting materials (ie. asbestos and lead) were removed at that point. What chemicals could this be? Can I ask the contractors to run tests on the dust they are sending out to the rest of the building? Do they have any obligation to comply?

Answer 1

Any chance that a gis fired heater is allowing carbon monoxide into your living space?

Answer 2

Call an attorney, they can tell you your rights. I suspect that the dust and probably some mold and fungus are in the air. This may be what you are susceptible to. Some pollens may have been in the wall and floor coverings that are now being disturbed.  I am very sensitive to some pollens, so bad that I act like a case of the flu, but it is an allergy.