Formaldehyde is a gas with a strong smell, and the CPSC says it can be released into indoor air from many everyday products. The CPSC says exposure may potentially cause eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, coughing, wheezing and allergic reactions. It also says long-term exposure to high levels has been associated with cancer in humans and laboratory animals.
This CPSC guide is for anyone who wants to know what may be adding formaldehyde to the air at home and how to lower it.
What Is the Hazard?
Formaldehyde is a colorless, reactive gas at room temperature. It belongs to a family of chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The CPSC says it is used to make other chemicals and products, including home furnishings, household cleaners, paints, textiles, and pesticides. Products made with it can release it into the air. This is called off-gassing.
The CPSC says formaldehyde is normally present at low levels, usually less than 0.03 parts per million, in both outdoor and indoor air. Homes with products that release it can go above that level. Levels change with heat, humidity and how much outdoor air moves through the home. They tend to rise when it is hot and humid.
The CPSC names these major sources in homes today:
- Pressed-wood products such as hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard, especially those made with urea-formaldehyde resins. The CPSC says their emissions are down 80-90% from 1980s and earlier levels.
- Wallpaper and paints, which can give moderate levels at first.
- Burning cigarettes, wood, kerosene, oil, natural gas and gasoline.
- Wood floor finishes applied by commercial floor contractors.
- Carpets and gypsum board, which the CPSC says may trap formaldehyde from other products and release it later.
Who Is Most at Risk?
The CPSC says people react differently. Some are very sensitive at a certain level and others notice nothing at the same level. For most people, low-level exposure produces no adverse effects. Sensitive people may need to avoid many everyday items.
What Should You Do?
The CPSC says symptoms that ease when you are away from home and return when you come back may be linked to indoor air factors, including formaldehyde. Colds, the flu and other indoor gases can cause similar symptoms. If symptoms keep coming back, the CPSC says you may want to contact your physician or your state or local health department.
- Ask yourself if anything is new. The CPSC lists refinished floors or cabinets, remodeling with pressed-wood products, new furniture, indoor smoking, tight new insulation, and new unlaundered crease-resistant clothes.
- Remove products that give off formaldehyde, if you can.
- Bring in fresh air. Open doors and windows and use exhaust fans.
- Seal surfaces that are not laminated or coated with a material that has no formaldehyde. Ventilate well, because many paints and coatings give off other VOCs while they cure.
- When you build or remodel, choose pressed-wood products labeled as meeting ANSI or CARB ACTM criteria. The CPSC also points to Ultra Low Emission Formaldehyde or No Added Formaldehyde products.
- Choose furniture and cabinets with mostly laminated or coated surfaces and edges. Raw pressed-wood panels generally give off more.
- Keep indoor humidity at 40-50% and avoid high household temperatures.
- Wash durable-press fabrics before you use them.
- Do not treat your home with strong ammonia. The CPSC strongly discourages it. It says the drop in levels is only temporary and the ammonia is extremely dangerous to handle.
- Be careful about testing. The CPSC says testing should not be necessary if you lower existing levels and avoid adding products that emit formaldehyde. It says home test kits have never been evaluated by the CPSC. If you become ill after installing a product made with formaldehyde, see a physician. The CPSC cautions that some businesses advertising formaldehyde testing may be unqualified or dishonest.
Source:https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/home/update-formaldehyde
