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Facts About Formaldehyde Fumes-5 Things You Should Know About Formaldehyde

By Debbie Davis

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 06Sep2010
Word count: 554
Viewed: 237 time(s)

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Formaldehyde is often used as a preservative for things that are dead--like the frog in biology class. But if you're living with these fumes you know first hand that they can be brutal. Here are 5 pieces of information about this chemical that will help you.

What the EPA Has To Say-As the watch dog of environmental issues, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spoken about acceptable levels of formaldehyde. They define elevated levels as above.1 ppm (parts per million), and recognize that newer homes that use large amounts of pressed wood products are likely to have levels of.3 ppm or higher.

This quote directly from the EPA states: On December 3, 2008, EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides & Toxic Substances published in the Federal Register an advance notice of proposed rule making (ANPR) that: describes EPA's initial steps to investigate potential actions to protect against risks posed by formaldehyde emitted from pressed wood products used in manufactured homes and other places....

Off Gassing Time Frame-This will depend on how much is present in your home. The noticeable smells may diminish after several weeks, but often a lower level of emission can continue for months. In many mobile homes as settling occurs, cracks occur and seals break which allow even more fumes to escape into the air.

Every Day Items That Contain It-You may be asking what kinds of things emit these fumes. The answer is shockingly more than you may have realized. Formaldehyde is frequently used as a component in paint, coating products, glues and adhesives. It is also found in pressed wood that is used for sub-flooring, furniture, cabinets, and shelving. It is also used to provide the permanent-press quality to many fabrics.

Effective Avoidance-Use of organic products that do not use chemicals in the manufacturing process is the best way avoid chemical off gassing. These kinder, gentler products are making inroads into the market more and more every day.

For instance, there is low VOC (volatile organic chemical) paint, organic carpets and fabrics that are not chemically treated. Real wood rather than pressed woods, organic carpet and fabrics are all readily available is healthier options.

These natural and organic products may cost slightly more, but the damage that airborne chemicals can have on your health is even more expensive not only in terms of cost for health issues that can occur, but in the way they often reduce your quality of life.

Elimination-You can choose to exhaust the fumes by pulling air out, pushing air through, or filtering it out. A whole house fan can be effective, but it will also pull whatever pollutants are outside into your space.

Pushing air through with a powerful fan is also a great short term solution. But both of these ideas only work as long as outdoor temperatures and conditions are moderate enough to allow it.

Exchanging indoor air with outdoor air might get rid of the fumes, but when the outside air is extremely hot or cold, it makes it impossible for you to live there because the temperature can't be controlled.

But filtering the air with a cleaner that is specifically designed to remove formaldehyde fumes will allow you to keep the temperature stable and enjoy clean air. This is the best proactive, non-invasive, and long term solution for a problem that already exists.

See the air purifier that can effectively eliminate formaldehyde fumes from your air now at http://purerair.com/healthmate_plus.html

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