Carpet offgassing can cause all sorts of health problems. I had to take a class several years ago that was being held in a new classroom with new carpet and it made me so sick I had to drop out and take the class during a different term in a different location!

When I bought a home with brand new carpet several years ago, I discovered a product that worked really well for me

http://www.afmsafecoat.com/products.php?page=5

The Carpet Seal worked wonders. You have to shampoo the carpet and then scrub the carpet seal into the fibers. I did this before we moved in and I never had any more negative effects from the new carpet.

There may be other products out there like this, this just happens to be the one that I found first. I would think that there would be several out there by now since offgassing is such a problem for so many people. There may be a product out there for use with new upholstery, too.

I know you can't very well clean and seal the hallway carpets in your friend's building, but if you know now that new carpet can cause this reaction for you, at least you can try to prevent it from happening in your own home in the future!