What are Volatile Organic compounds (VOC)?
Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. These VOC’s can be released from building materials, paint, carpet, furniture and from the reproduction of microorganisms. Concentrations of many VOC’s are consistently higher indoors than outdoors. These compounds can cause hypersensitivity reactions at low concentrations.
Chemical irritants are caused by products such as paints and cleaners which contain many different volatile organic compounds (VOCs). If the specific contaminant is unknown, a total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentration will help inform of any elevated levels present, to potentially bloodhound the source, and determine if additional testing is indicated.
Formaldehyde particularly is of great concern as a contributor to health issues. While used widely in furniture, carpets, and other commonly found items, formaldehyde has been highlighted by numerous health agencies as a carcinogen and health risk. Learn more about formaldehyde below.
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) or gas that is typically identified indoors at low levels, but usually at higher levels than outdoors. Formaldehyde is synthesized for use in binders, plastics, and preservatives. It is also used as a disinfectant or antimicrobial agent in cosmetics, as medical treatment for some skin conditions, and as a tissue preservative for pathologists and embalmers.
Formaldehyde can be found in bonding agents or adhesives commonly found in carpets, furniture, plywood, and particle board. The California Environmental Protection Agency (CA EPA) to identify a link between formaldehyde and increases in health issues in adults and children.
What is formaldehyde used for and what are its benefits?
Formaldehyde’s main use is in resins (urea formaldehyde, phenol-formaldehyde, polyacetal and melamine-formaldehyde). Formaldehyde resins have many benefits: low cost, fast curing time, dimensional stability hardness, and a clear glue line. Composite wood – panels made form chips, particles, fibers, or pieces of wood bonded together with a resin- - also contains formaldehyde. Examples of composites include hardwood plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard, thin medium density fiberboard, and furniture and other finished products. Composite wood is found everywhere, in wood flooring and underlayment, in solid doors, cabinetry, flooring, molding, baseboards, shelving, and countertops. Formaldehyde is also found in other building materials such as insulation, glues, adhesives, furnishing, and finishes, as well as in cigarette smoke.
What are the risks of using formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde's use in products should be avoided in the residential environment. Formaldehyde is classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It’s on the red list of the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge. According to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment it has a very strict Chronic Reference Exposure Level of 7 parts per billion (ppb) in air. At elevated levels, it can cause eye, throat, or skin irritation, allergic reactions, and respiratory problems like coughing wheezing or asthma.
How is formaldehyde regulated?
Currently, there is no regulatory standard for formaldehyde concentrations in residential settings. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a guideline level for formaldehyde in non-occupational setting at 100 ppb for 30 minutes. This guideline was developed to protect against sensory irritation in the general population, but WHO states that is also represents an exposure level at which there is negligible risk of upper-respiratory tract cancer in humans.
Health Canada has a residential indoor air quality guideline of 100 parts per million (ppm) for short-term exposure based on a one-hour average to protect against irritation of the eyes, nose, or throat, and a long-term exposure of 40 ppb based on a minimum 8-hour average, to protect against respiratory symptoms in children with asthma.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment established guideline indoor concentration values for formaldehyde, recommending an indoor concentration of no more than 7 ppb for long-term chronic exposure and 45 ppb for acute one-hour exposures to formaldehyde. These exposure guidelines were established for non-cancer irritant effects (eyes, nose, and respiratory system), with consideration for sensitive individuals as well as safety factors. However, more that 90 percent of the recently build homes in the California study exceeded the 7 ppb chronic exposure guideline, and 25 percent exceeded the 45 ppb one-hour exposure guideline, so the recommended levels are below ambient levels found in most homes. It would be unusual to find concentration of formaldehyde below 4 ppb in most homes. Indoor concentrations of formaldehyde above 100 ppb are also unusual and may warrant additional investigation.