Easy Ways to Reduce Formaldehyde from Building Materials
Opening windows is the easiest way to reduce formaldehyde concentrations in homes. The best option is to use only building products that emit little or no formaldehyde. However, when conventional building materials are already in place and emitting formaldehyde, the problem will remedy itself with time. Materials that are several years old emit far less formaldehyde than new products.
Formaldehyde is a pungent-smelling gas that irritates eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can also trigger asthma attacks, and it is a carcinogen. Some individuals experience nausea and difficulty breathing at 0.1 ppm. New homes can have more than 0.3 ppm. Some individuals become sensitized to formaldehyde and have symptoms at very low concentrations.
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Many building materials release formaldehyde. The worst culprits are:
- Pressed wood products like interior grade plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF)
- Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI)
- Paints, adhesive, wood finishes
- Durable press textiles such as draperies
Here are ways to reduce formaldehyde:
- Open windows to increase ventilation, especially after installing materials that emit formaldehyde. Ventilating a home for a few hours, several times a week should be adequate in most cases.
- Use air conditioners or dehumidifiers, or ventilate the home during the cooler parts of the day. Heat and humidity increase formaldehyde emission from building materials.
- Select building materials that emit little or no formaldehyde. “Exterior grade” pressed wood products typically emit less formaldehyde. Select materials made with phenol resins, rather than urea resins.
- Select paints and wood finishes that emit little or no formaldehyde. Some “green” products are formaldehyde-free.
- Use reclaimed building materials when possible. Older wood products emit far less formaldehyde.
Photo by Texas Finn, Flickr Common License.
Related articles:
Open Windows for A Healthier Home
Formaldehyde from Citrus Cleaning Products
Dream Kitchen or Health Hazard: Formaldehyde and Indoor Air Quality
Ms Kincaid,
Someone forwarded me the link to your March 11th article on reducing formahldehyde from building materials. You incorrectly listed oriented strand board (OSB) as being one of the worst culprits. You also listed “plywood” in the same category.
You then correctly stated that products that have exterior grade resins (like phenolics) are preferable to interior grade adhesives. Structural plywood and OSB both fall into this latter category. They are made with exterior adhesives. As such, they are exempt from CARB regulations.
I would offer up the following modifications to your article.
-Remove oriented strand board from the first list. Also clarify that you are talking about interior grade plywood in that same list.
-Add a sentance at the end of the third bullet in the list of ways to reduce formaldehyde, “Such products include structural plywood and oriented strand board.” You could get more specific and say, “Such products include structural plywood and oriented strand board that bear trademarks showing conformance to U.S. Product Standard PS-1 and PS-2, respectively.”
Let me know if you have any questions.
Tom Kositzky
APA
Mr. Kositzky,
Thank you for your comments and clarification. My information was taken from the EPA website on formaldehyde. They would welcome your insights as to ways they could improve the information they provide to the public.
From personal experience, I would agree that OSB does not emit large amounts of formaldehyde. When we remodeled our bedroom, we added OSB shear walls on 3 sides of the room. With doors and windows closed, formaldehyde was below 0.05 ppm.