<s>[INST] I've been having seasonal allergies and my doctor told me that they have been making me cough for the first time ever.  It started about 2 weeks ago.  3 days ago I started on an inhaler and Tessalon for the cough.  It was helping when I was at home for Monday and Tuesday.  I came to work Wednesday and the office that is under construction in our building was painting.  Our building doesn't have windows that open, so the paint fumes were flowing through the ventilation system.  Now my cough is just as bad as it was without the inhaler and Tessalon.  And in addition I've had a headache and my body hurts since leaving early yesterday, and I felt nauseated most of the day yesterday.  Could these new issues be from the paint fumes?  I also just realized the construction started about 2-3 weeks ago.  Could the cough be related to the construction? [/INST] Hello.Thank you for asking at HCM.A construction site has lots more irritants like paint fumes, various types of dust particles, sometimes fuel smokes, etc.Most of them are actually not allergens, they do not cause allergies. But they are irritants. When one inhales them, they cause irritation of respiratory mucous membranes. This causes various respiratory symptoms like sneezing, nasal obstruction, cough, breathing difficulty, etc.So it is possible that cough could be related to the construction.Hope this was helpful to you.Wish you best of the health.Regards. </s>