Hi..this is a question instead of a comment, do you have a brand name of the heaters you are talking about? Sandy

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: There are many brand names for ceramic heaters. The one I have is made by Rival. Just type "ceramic space heater" into your favorite search engine to find them. I would suggest, though, that you purchase one at a local store so you can see that the housing is metal and what type of finish it might have.

after trying a lot of different space heaters, i find the ceramic ones work the best as well w/little or no off-gassing symptoms (the one i bought is a holmes). we (my husband and i) have a couple of delonghis at another property that still off-gas terribly after two winters (the older variety was not as toxic - they must be using a different paint), so we only use them as an emergency backup, and then only for short periods.

the reason i'm now using the ceramic space heaters may help someone sort out heat-related symptoms of a different sort. i moved to an apt. in december (colorado) that has older (50 yr) baseboard hot water/oil heat (copper pipe and flange units). thought cool, this should be great - no carbon monoxide, no contaminated ducting, no blowing particulants around in the air.

after several weeks of my cat throwing up and me having all kinds of bad juju symptoms (stomach bloating, dry eyes, chest pain, wheezing, sore throat, bleeding gums, leg cramps, etc.), which seemed related to a chemical sweet smell in the air, i tracked down the culprit to these baseboard units (sweet smell/symptoms stronger on colder days, of course). i thought the copper pipes were just filled w/water, but they also contain glycol (gotta love the internet), hence the chemical sweet smell (which would occur only if there is leakage). my symptoms map to low-level glycol poisoning, since it is the airborne variety (much more serious if you drink the stuff) - there are most likely pinhole leaks in the pipes or in the packing material around the joints (i bellied up to the hvac bar to learn this stuff). the hotter i run the system and the longer, the stronger the odor and the worse the symptoms (cat will actually try hiding in a closet or the bathtub or yowling, scratching at the front door).

cat's fine and all my symptoms are gone since i've turned off the system (they are easily repeatable, including the cat puking/hiding/yowling, if i turn the system back on for any length of time). the landlord thinks i'm crazy and won't pay to have the units checked for leaks. i may pay to have it checked myself, because i like the apt. a lot. everything else is squeaky-clean, air quality-wise (using my "cat" scan and my own symptoms as a check), new tight windows, etc. a very happy space with a very poisonous vintage heating system.

unfortunately, unlike with carbon monoxide leaks and gas leaks, there is no help via fire dept. or city utilities, health dept., etc. to check for leaks/levels of exposure with glycol or ordinances to force the landlord into fixing a glycol-infused boiler system.

We had to get rid of our DeLonghi oil filled heater. It had that sweet odor, too, that I assumed was either paint or some new plastic part out gassing. I'm also sensitive to ethylene glycol (antifreeze) that is in many products - printer ink, some synthetic rubber, some herbicides...

i have been sick for 3 months now..real paranoid and nervous all the time.. just couldn't figure out why.. went to the ER and they couldn't find anyrthing but when got home, could smell oil..sure enough,unplugged the Delonghi heater for last 2 days and am finally feeling well.. like my old self again..don't know if there is a leak in it or what ..maybe just allegic to this thing but i am..using a conventional electric heater again..no more electric oil heaters for me..thought i was dying for the last 3 months..thank God I figured it out....

My home office was cold because of crushed duct. I tried our old electric oil heater but still can't manage the slight smell. Bought a parabolic heater after checking it out at Costco. But I returned it because a subtle high pitched electrical "sound" was giving me a headache; my husband couldn't hear it. I bought the same model, thinking first was defective, same sound, returned it. I'm probably electrically sensitive. Bought another space heater recommended by a friend with MCS but again felt the electricity in my head, took it back. Finally I went online looking for something safe for me. I ordered an Evergain far infrared Bio-energy heater, more expensive but uses only 400 watts, doesn't use up the oxygen in the room, and is totally silent, including in my head. The smell from the plastic offgassing seems to be leaving fairly quickly. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Juliene