Inhaled melted plastic fumes -- FREAKING OUT over health obsessions. Please help!

[greatsun]

Hey guys,

I really need some perspective here. Lately my obsessive health anxiety has just been OUT OF CONTROL. It's been one thing after another over the past couple weeks - fear of misaligned vertebrae after a neck massage, fear of losing my hearing after my ear clogging up, and now, last night, fear that I have permanent lung damage after a kitchen mishap.

My boyfriend loaded the dishwasher and we went to bed. I got out of bed to use the restroom and noticed that our entire apartment smelled of a horrible chemical odor. I sniffed around for a good 15 minutes trying to find where the smell was coming from, for fear something might be burning. Finally, I opened the dishwasher, and got a face full of steam and the same chemically odor that I had been smelling. Turns out a plastic food storage container had fallen to the bottom of the washer, on top of the hot coils, and melted completely in half. While quietly PANICKING inside about the fact that I just inhaled these fumes for a good 20 minutes, I removed the plastic, opened all the windows in the kitchen, and went to bed (but not before Googling the side effects of inhaling melted plastic fumes).

The first thing that I thought, after doing my Googling, was OH SHIT I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO DEVELOP SHORTNESS OF BREATH FROM THIS, AND IT IS GOING TO LAST FOR MONTHS OR YEARS IF NOT MY ENTIRE LIFE. A couple years ago I got a flu shot and had on-and-off shortness of breath for 10 months. Then it completely went away. I am always paranoid about it coming back. So of course, when I woke up today, the first thing I noticed was that I was experiencing a vague shortness of breath, which has lasted throughout the day. I also have a burning throat and hoarse cough. As I type this, my hands feel weak and kind of shaky , and my head feels slightly foggy/disoriented. I am fearful that all of these things are side effects of inhaling poisonous fumes from melted plastic, and most of all, I am fearful that I now have plastic particles permanently lodged in my lungs that will cause permanent shortness of breath, scar tissue, and who knows what other long-term bodily ailments. I am paralyzed by this fear and so, so, SO upset that I inhaled so much of the plastic fumes before figuring out what it was.

I will go see my doctor if the symptoms persist. I'm not asking for medical advice, but really just reassurance that maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I cannot, CANNOT get perspective with this.

Thank you.

[Jayamashey]

Hi Greatsun,

Sounds like you are worried about inhaling when your were only smelling. In this case, the plastic melted inside the dishwasher. Plastic smells awful but the smell doesn't mean you were inhaling the particles from the melting action. If the plastic was melting and smoking and you had your head overtop and were intaking the fumes directly this would be inhaling and may have a negative health impact.

In this case, you were just smelling the plastic and the smell may have caused your body some symptoms due to the awful smell (just like smelling bad fish or vomit). Then your anxiety is kicking in and causing further symptoms. Rest assured you are fine and the feelings will subside.

I had a similar experience in Africa where they used to burn garbage (plastic and Styrofoam) daily right near where I was working. The smoke cloud would come over and I would actually breath in the fumes. To this day any smell of burning plastic makes me sick. However, 20+ years later and being exposed 20+ times in those few weeks, I am fine

[ocdPANIC]

Ive smoked so many home made bongs back when i started smoking weed and there has been plastic melted in my toke on ocassion and ive been fine. Just calm down

[Anders]

Omg. This is me! Never thought someone else out there would react this way too. Have inhaled chemical fumes from household cleaners and dishwasher and was obsessed with possible health effects.
Shallow breathing, coughing, dryness, itchy. Even afraid to sleep in case of medical emergency. But all most likely symptoms of anxiety and my mind taking control so to speak.
Still very uncomfortable and stressful reaction.
Just not sure how to unwind and get anxiety level back to normal.

[uddy]

Ive smoked so many home made bongs back when i started smoking weed and there has been plastic melted in my toke on ocassion and ive been fine. Just calm down

this is exactly why I was just freaking out about it. nothing to do with ocd. made the most ghetto pipe - a pen nib stabbed into a toilet roll tube