thanks all for your useful and prompt replies.
It is now 7 hours since I turned off the damn thing and after a shower, the bathroom and my breath still stink of plastic;towel stinks, pillow thrown away. I have a dull headache which means I have mild dose of poisoning and nausea. I am drinking all the water I can and the water in my unit is filtered and the hose heating is off.
I went to google and found pages of complaints for the same thing going back years. This means the company has been playing us for mugs.
I got an a/h number called and left my experiences to be past on to the state office here. But I will not be getting another machine. The price for you in the US is less than half what we are hit here for an 'Australian made'..? appliance which also hurts.
Take this on board anyone who is told they need one and seek some other way.
cheers.