Noxious odors from apartment refurbishment

[irisham]

I'm beginning to feel disrespected by my landlord. Last month, he replaced my oven with a refurbished oven that emitted a highly noxious odor from Oven-Off through my entire kitchen. The landlord's advice: "Burn (the smell) off" by running the oven on high for several hours. Five hours of doing so resulted in the odor intensifying. I tolerated this for several days, trying more "burning," airing out my apartment. Nothing worked and I became increasingly resentful and anxious that suddenly my own kitchen was threatening to my health and those of my two cats. Finally, I pressed the issue, and he offered me two choices: either continue airing out and "burning" or accept a new oven, paying a permanent rent increase of $8 per month as a major capital improvement. At that point I just wanted the problem to disappear as I felt my health was threatened, so I accepted the new oven.

Fast forward to Monday. When I got home at 9:45 p.m., the building's hallways (this is a 20-unit, 4-story rent-stabilized building.) reeked of polyurethane, and the odor was strongest in my top-floor apartment and those of my neighbors. I had to sleep with several windows open all night, and we were not happy campers. I called yesterday morning to complain, and the building manager said that, yes, they were laying polyurethane down in a first-floor apartment, that they couldn't ventilate too well because to do so would cause the polyurethane to emit odor for weeks rather than days. He inferred that it was a one-day application and that things would get better. Well, I came home last night to the same smell, same intensity. Apparently they applied a second coat. Again, another cold night in my apartment with the windows open.

I'm concerned because I feel it may imperil my health, and that of my cats. And I feel helpless, as does at least one of my neighbors. What recourse do we have to prevent this from happening again?

[irisham]

Here's what enrages me about this incident: My landlord polluted my apartment (my home, in other words), indeed, the entire 20-unit building, for three consecutive days, filling it with fumes from polyurethane floor sealant. Having stuck it out now, I feel sick, with headache and feeling a bit weak.

Yet if one of the tenants did the same thing to the floor of his/her apartment, and spewed such toxicity, the landlord would probably try to evict the person.

And he didn't even give us the decency of a flyer or notice explaining what and when he was going to do this. At least then, one had the option of moving out for three days.

There must be some law that protects tenants in such situations. Any insights, anyone?