Question
My sister has been having severe breathing problems recently including a trip to the emergency room due to this.  So far nothing has been found to be causing the problem.
There is an almost moldy smell in her garage that has permeated her car and smells to a lesser degree in her house.  She had an oak tree cut down about a year ago and the wood from the tree is stored in her garage.  
Could there be anything from the oak firewood that is stored that could be causing breathing problems?

Thank you

Answer
Kerry:

There could be a myriad of fungal and/or bacterial microorganisms on this stored wood, especially if the wood has been sitting in the garage for some length of time and has been moist at one time or the other. Searching for the culprit on firewood would be a daunting task.  There are some "common" fungal offenders, however we usually find them associated with sheetrock walls that have sustained some water damage.  Moisture is very important for the growth of these many organisms.  There are some businesses that can take air samples for spores and can identify the "bad guys".  You may wish to consider checking the yellow pages for mold remediation services or contact your dept of health for some leads if the breathing problems may be associated with an allergin from inhalation.

Regards
Steve