<strong> <a href="http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/formaldehyde-in-your-house/">FORMALDEHYDE, THE HIDDEN DANGER IN YOUR HOUSE</a></strong><p><span class="rdetector_placeholder_before"></span> <div style="padding:1.2em;background-color:#HEX_HERE;line-height:1.4;"> It is formaldehyde, which we fill most of our room in house with. Besides in the paint, it is also used in the building materials and numerous household products which is made from fiberwood, particleboard, and plywood. These pressed wood products are made by using adhesives that contain <em>Urea-Formaldehyde (UF)</em> resins. This chemical substance vaporizes become indoor pollutant. </p> <table id="wp-table-reloaded-id-12-no-2" class="wp-table-reloaded wp-table-reloaded-id-12"> <thead> <tr class="row-1 odd"> <th class="column-1">Pressed wood product </th><th class="column-2">Used</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr class="row-2 even"> <td class="column-1">Particleboard </td><td class="column-2">As sub-flooring, shelving, cabinetry, furniture</td> </tr> <tr class="row-3 odd"> <td class="column-1">Hardwood plywood paneling</td><td class="column-2">For decorative wall covering, cabinets, furniture</td> </tr> <tr class="row-4 even"> <td class="column-1">Medium Density fiberboard*</td><td class="column-2">For exterior construction use</td> </tr> <tr class="row-5 odd"> <td class="column-1">Softwood plywood, flake, or oriented strand board**</td><td class="column-2">For drawer fronts, cabinets, furniture tops</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <span class="wp-table-reloaded-table-description"><h3>*Contains a higher resin-to-wood ratio than any other UF pressed wood product and is generally recognized as being highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.<br /> ** Contains the dark, or red/black-colored <em>phenol-formaldehyde (PF)</em> resin. Although formaldehyde is present in both types of resins, pressed woods that contain PF resin generally emit formaldehyde at considerably lower rates than those containing UF resin.</h3></span> <p><img src="http://careandhealed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Medium-Density-Fiber-Board-300x225.jpg" alt="Medium Density Fiber Board" title="Medium Density Fiber Board" width="300" height="225" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1086" />You can recognize formaldehyde existence by smelling it. It’s a a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat. It can make you feel nausea and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). If you think that this effect is similarly with formalin, it because formalin is the aqueous solutions of formaldehyde. 100%” formalin consists of a saturated solution of formaldehyde (this is about 40% by volume or 37% by mass) in water. Its smell is quite strong in furniture store that you can recognize it easily. </p> <p>Average concentrations in older homes without UFFI (Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation) are generally well below 0.1 (ppm). In homes with significant amounts of new pressed wood products, levels can be greater than 0.3 ppm. Other studies show that exposure with 0.1 ppm formaldehyde for 10 years can increase the possibility risk of throat cancer. </p> <p>High concentrations of inhaled formaldehyde may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.  Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions. May cause cancer. May also cause other effects listed under “organic gases.” There’re still more bad effect that I didn’t mention here. But, better than that, let’s find out how to deal with formaldehyde. </p> <p><a href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/standards.html" title=OSHA" alt="OSHA">OSHA</a> gives standards, preambles to final rules (background to final rules), directives (instructions for compliance officers), and standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards) related to formaldehyde. </p> <p>There’s a good <a href="http://www.ziddu.com/download/7456478/FormaldehydeConsumerBooklet.pdf.html" title="Formaldehyde Consumer Booklet" alt="Formaldehyde Consumer Booklet"><strong>Formaldehyde Consumer Booklet</strong></a> that published by US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many things that I didn’t include here because I’d prefer to limit the quite long explanation and try to make it short and easy to read. However, this booklet seems to be a must to be your reference reading. If you didn’t find the site, you can visit <a href="http://careandhealed.com/download" title="download">download</a>. </p> <p>In the industrialized countries, such as Sweden, Finlandia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherland, Canada, etc, the rule of using formaldehyde is clear and strict. The indoor air quality including formaldehyde emit pollution has been getting a lot of concerns. The workers who have contact with formaldehyde has a limited hour of exposure. It’s not more than 1,0 ppm within 8 hours per day. In Indonesia, it’s unknown whether there’s a similar rule or not. It’s also unclear about the rule of using the safer type of formaldehyde for health. I hope Indonesia government can give a big concern of this. We don’t want Indonesian people go to work and struggle outside for earning money, which they buy food, send their children to school with, but come home with carcinogenic agent in their bodies. </p> <p style="height:1.4em;"> </p> <p>(continue to <a href="http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/toxic-voc-for-your-interior" title="A Toxic VOC for Your Interior Paints" alt=""><strong>A Toxic VOC for Your Interior Paints</strong></a>) </div> <input type="hidden" id="rdetector_data" value="YTozOntzOjQ6InRhZ3MiO2E6ODp7czozOiJ1cmwiO3M6NjA6Imh0dHA6Ly9jYXJlYW5kaGVhbGVkLmNvbS8yMDA5LzExL2Zvcm1hbGRlaHlkZS1pbi15b3VyLWhvdXNlLyI7czo1OiJ0aXRsZSI7czo0NToiRk9STUFMREVIWURFLCBUSEUgSElEREVOIERBTkdFUiBJTiBZT1VSIEhPVVNFIjtzOjQ6ImxpbmsiO3M6MTIwOiI8YSBocmVmPSJodHRwOi8vY2FyZWFuZGhlYWxlZC5jb20vMjAwOS8xMS9mb3JtYWxkZWh5ZGUtaW4teW91ci1ob3VzZS8iPkZPUk1BTERFSFlERSwgVEhFIEhJRERFTiBEQU5HRVIgSU4gWU9VUiBIT1VTRTwvYT4iO3M6MTM6ImNhdGVnb3J5bmFtZXMiO3M6MjE6IklubmVyIEhlYWxpbmcgQXQgSG9tZSI7czoxMzoiY2F0ZWdvcnlsaW5rcyI7czo5MjoiPGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cDovL2NhcmVhbmRoZWFsZWQuY29tL2NhdGVnb3J5L2lubmVyLWhlYWxpbmctYXQtaG9tZS8iPklubmVyIEhlYWxpbmcgQXQgSG9tZTwvYT4iO3M6MTA6ImF1dGhvcm5hbWUiO3M6MTU6ImNhcmUgYW5kIGhlYWxlZCI7czo5OiJhdXRob3J1cmwiO3M6MDoiIjtzOjEwOiJhdXRob3JsaW5rIjtzOjMwOiI8YSBocmVmPSIiPmNhcmUgYW5kIGhlYWxlZDwvYT4iO31zOjEyOiJwb3N0X29yX3BhZ2UiO3M6NDoicG9zdCI7czoyOiJpZCI7aToxMDY3O30=" name="rdetector_data" /><span class="rdetector_placeholder_after"></span> </p> <!-- Facebook Comments for WordPress: http://pleer.co.uk/wordpress/plugins/facebook-comments/ --><div class="fbcomments"><h3>Comments</h3><p><fb:comments-count href=http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/formaldehyde-in-your-house/></fb:comments-count> comments</p><div class="fbcommentbox"><fb:comments href="http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/formaldehyde-in-your-house/" num_posts="10" width="450" colorscheme="light" ></fb:comments></div><p>Powered by <a href="http://pleer.co.uk/wordpress/plugins/facebook-comments/">Facebook Comments</a></p></div> <p>Related posts:</p><ol><li><a href='http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/health-is-started-from-home/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: HEALTH IS STARTED FROM HOME'>HEALTH IS STARTED FROM HOME</a></li> <li><a href='http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/wall-paint-effect/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: WALL PAINT, BETWEEN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECT'>WALL PAINT, BETWEEN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECT</a></li> <li><a href='http://careandhealed.com/2009/11/toxic-voc-for-your-interior/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A TOXIC VOC FOR YOUR INTERIOR PAINTS'>A TOXIC VOC FOR YOUR INTERIOR PAINTS</a></li> <li><a href='http://careandhealed.com/2010/04/searching-for-the-cracks-in-the-wall/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Radon, Searching For The Cracks In The Wall'>Radon, Searching For The Cracks In The Wall</a></li> <li><a href='http://careandhealed.com/2010/04/why-is-there-radon-in-my-house/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Why Is There Radon In My House? 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