Formaldehyde is a strong smelling, volatile organic compound (VOC) and common indoor air pollutant. It is a naturally occurring chemical that is also produced synthetically in large quantities for consumer products, building products such as manufactured woods, and industrial purposes to make plastics and chemicals.
Formaldehyde is a common ingredient in adhesives and finishes. Formaldehyde fumes can enter indoor air from plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, permanent press clothing and draperies, some types of foam insulation, fiberglass, carpets and carpet glues, and some paints and floor finishes. Woods made with urea formaldehyde resins emit higher levels of formaldehyde than those made with phenol formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is also a component of automobile exhaust. Some fingernail polishes and hardeners contain formaldehyde as well.
Carpets do not contain significant amounts of formaldehyde. However, carpets can trap formaldehyde within its fibers from other sources. This trapped formaldehyde may be released later when humidity and temperature changes occur.
Children may be exposed to formaldehyde fumes in indoor air. Levels may be particularly high in rooms containing a lot of manufactured wood furnishings and plastics, such as mobile homes, trailer homes, and temporary buildings, especially if ventilation is poor.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
If SWALLOWED, formaldehyde is Very Highly Toxic
If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, formaldehyde is Highly Toxic
If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), formaldehyde is Very Highly Toxic
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
Allergen
Asthma Trigger
Other
Allergy like reactions, such as watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, stuffy nose, skin rashes. Allergic skin rashes and dermatitis may occur from skin contact with permanent-press clothing or other finishes that contain formaldehyde.
Flu-like symptoms, headache, fatigue, nausea.
Inhaling formaldehyde fumes can cause respiratory problems and asthma-like symptoms, such as breathlessness, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and/or chest tightness. Repeated exposures may cause bronchitis, with symptoms of cough and shortness of breath.
Ingested formaldehyde can cause necrosis and ulceration in the stomach and intestine.
Formaldehyde has been linked to a rare form of nasopharyngeal cancer and may also be linked to cancer of the nose and throat in humans. Test animals exposed to formaldehyde fumes have developed nasal cancer. Epidemiological studies show an association between formaldehyde and leukemia but scientists have not been able to show how this might occur.
Drinking large amouts can cause severe pain, vomiting, coma and death.
How Exposures Occur
Air Fresheners
Air fresheners sprayed in the house, may contribute to formaldehyde generation, through indoor chemistry reactions, especially in the summer. Rates of formaldehyde production may be quite significant (hundreds of ug/hr) and comparable to those from insulation products.
Cleaners, Disinfectants, Fabric Softeners
Some household products may contain formaldehyde as a preservative or fabric finish.
Furniture and Flooring
Pressed Wood Furniture, Flooring, Subflooring, Cabinetry, and other manufactured wood products; Fiberglass: Children can inhale formaldehyde from cabinets, shelves, wood-veneer furniture, laminated flooring, floor underlayments, paneling, and doors made of particleboard, hardwood plywood, and medium density fiberboard (MDF). These pressed woods are bonded with resins containing formaldehyde. Pressed woods made with urea formaldehyde resins emit higher levels of formaldehyde than those made with phenol formaldehyde. Decorative wood laminates may also emit formaldehyde, though at lower levels than pressed woods. Formaldehyde emissions are highest from new pressed woods and will gradually subside over time.
Some fiberglass products, including insulation, may also emit formaldehyde.
Gas Appliances, Fireplaces, Automobile Exhaust
Children can inhale small amounts of formaldehyde when materials such as wood, kerosene, cigarettes and natural gas are burned inside the home, particularly if gas or kerosene heaters are unvented. Outdoors, children can inhale formaldehyde from vehicle exhaust and smog in outdoor air, but generally at lower amounts than those found indoors. Outdoor formaldehyde levels are typically higher in urban areas.
Nail Polish and Hardeners, Cosmetics
Children can inhale formaldehyde if nail polishes or hardeners are being used nearby. These products emit high levels of formaldehyde when wet that drop sharply as the polish dries. However, because they are used to cover a small surface area,exposure is likely to be minor. Teens working in, or children living above, nail salons are more likely to be exposed to significant levels of formaldehyde, however. Formaldehyde is also used as a preservative in some blushes, facial powders, and other cosmetics.
Permanent Press Fabrics, Draperies, Some Coated Paper Products
Children can inhale formaldehyde from the fabric finish that provides a "permanent press" quality to new fabrics and draperies, and they can absorb it through their skin from touching treated clothing or bedding for extended periods of time. Emission rates from unwashed new fabrics may rival that of insulation products and are similar to those from paints and finishes. Formaldehyde levels on treated fabrics greatly subside with each washing.
Some papers, including paper bags and paper towels, may be coated with small amounts of finish containing formaldehyde. Generally, emissions from this source are fairly small.
Some Latex Paints, Floor Finishes and Wallpaper Adhesives
These products can emit high levels of formaldehyde when wet, although emissions should quickly decline as these coatings dry. Children can inhale formaldehyde during or soon after application, particularly if homes are not adequately ventilated. Some commercially-applied acid-cured floor finishes contain large amounts of formaldehyde and could continue to emit substantial amounts even after drying.
Significant Statistics
Levels of formaldehyde in air as low as 0.1 ppm (0.1 part formaldehyde per million parts of air) can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes, and allergic reactions.
Inspect new wood products. Many furnishings are made with pressed woods. Look at an unfinished or cut end of the wood, or under upholstery. Fiber and particleboard looks like wood chips or sawdust glued together. Plywood is sheets of wood that have been glued and pressed together—at a cut end of the board, you will see layers of wood glued together. Formaldehyde has a distinct, strong odor that is emitted by new or wet formaldehyde products.
Read labels on building products, cleaners, cosmetics. Look for formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde (UF), or phenol formaldehyde (PF). Note: Pressed woods containing PF resins generally release much lower levels of formaldehyde into the air and are, therefore, preferable to those made with UF resins. You can also request a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from product manufacturers, which must be provided.
Toll-free numbers for consumers are typically listed on the product label or packaging. You may also find MSDS sheets online at Vermont Safety Information Resources Inc.
Watch for unexplainable health effects after purchasing new furnishings or moving into a new or remodeled home. In these and mobile, or trailer, homes, formaldehyde may cause unexplainable headaches, fatigue, watery or burning eyes, stuffy nose, or throat irritation. If these symptoms go away or subside when you are away from home or office but reappear upon your return, they may be caused by formaldehyde or other indoor air pollutants.
Formaldehyde can cause health effects even when an odor cannot be detected. If odor is detected, it is likely that levels have reached a range that requires action.
How to minimize exposure to formaldehyde
Ventilate! Open windows and use fans and air conditioning to dilute formaldehyde concentrations with fresh air and to push it outdoors. Ventilation will also reduce moisture and heat buildup. High humidity and heat can cause products to release formaldehyde more readily. In damp regions, dehumidifiers will also help reduce
indoor moisture levels.
Always open windows and use fans when painting indoors. And keep children and pregnant women away
from the fumes!
Seal unfinished pressed wood items with paint, varnish, or water-based polyurethane sealant. Use a finish that does not itself contain formaldehyde and ventilate well while applying.
Allow new particleboard furnishing and wood to release formaldehyde fumes outdoors or in a well-ventilated, unoccupied space (such as the garage) for a few weeks before bringing into the living space. Be sure to remove all coverings or packaging to allow for maximum release. Increasing heat may speed up the release of fumes.
Wash new clothing and bedding before use to remove formaldehyde-containing fabric finishes. Try to avoid buying permanent press fabrics. Air out new draperies outdoors, in the garage or in an unoccupied, but well-ventilated, area of your home for a few days.
Do not smoke or use unvented kerosene heaters indoors. Make sure fireplaces and wood stoves are not leaking exhaust inside the house; keep chimneys and exhaust pipes clean.
Do not rely on air purifiers to remove formaldehyde from indoor air. Air purifiers are generally not designed to remove gaseous pollutants. Ozone-generating purifiers may contribute to formaldehyde concentrations.
If a pressed wood must be used (in construction, for example), ask retailers for help in choosing lower-emission PF (phenol formaldehyde) woods when possible. Among pressed woods made with urea formaldehyde resins, plywood releases less formaldehyde than particleboard and medium-density fiberboard.
Ecological alternatives to pressed woods exist. See A Sane Home for more information.
Choose untreated clothing and bedding, made of natural or organic fibers, when possible. See Pick Your Cotton for more information.
Formaldehyde-free nail polishes and other cosmetics are available at conventional drugstores and natural foods stores. Check the Skin Deep website to find out if your nail polish contains formaldehyde and to find one that does not.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
An Update On Formaldehyde: 1997 Revision (CPSC Document #725).U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1997.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/725.html
Public Health Statement for Formaldehyde.Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, July 1999.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs111.html
The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, April 1995.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html
Other government agencies
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20460-0003
Indoor Air Quality Hotline: 800-438-4318
