diver110 wrote:
We looked at eome used ones and detected no smell. As others have said, I think this is a very individual matter. Listen to your body!
It's possible that the azdel and aluminum construction of Camplite's might work for you. The standard camper has aluminum floors, no carpet, no osb, no chip board or plywood. The Camplite's made up through early 2011 even had aluminum interior walls (no azdel), and with a customer order you still should be able to get one with no azdel.
Mine has azdel wall panels and had some 'new camper smell', but it dissipated over time. On any camper the appliances will all have a 'new appliance smell'. It also should dissipate over time.
Like your girlfriend, my wife and I don't like the idea of breathing synthetic chemicals from unknown sources that have not been tested for safety. The Camplite wasn't too bad that way, so we are happy with it.
As far as used campers, you'll likely not have the manufacturing by-products, but you will have whatever the previous owner left behind (cat & dog debris, cigarette smoke, etc).