Formaldehyde is used a lot in manufacturing, primarily as an
adhesive or glue to bind materials like laminate wood flooring, fiber
board, plywood, etc. It's also found in high levels in carpet coatings
and in cigarette smoke, fumes from fuel burning appliances, kerosene
heaters. The important point, however, is that formaldehyde does release
a gas into indoor areas where these materials have been used. Most
recently, a Lumber Liquidator's Chinese flooring product was found to
release fairly high levels of formaldehyde and creating many health
concerns.
Should you be concerned about formaldehyde gas in your
indoor air? If you've had any of that Chinese laminate flooring
installed, yes. Though most of us are exposed to low levels of
formaldehyde on a daily basis, it isn't something you want to breathe,
as it doesn't take a lot to reach a point of toxicity. And higher levels
are going to create symptoms like burning, watery eyes, irritated
throat, nausea, breathing problems, and new or worsened asthma attacks.
Long term, formaldehyde is known to cause nasopharyngeal cancer and
myeloid leukemia and no one needs that. If you have any kind of laminate
or hardwood flooring, I would at least test the air in your home and
find out what is there or not, for your own peace of mind.
If
you're pregnant, you definitely don't want formaldehyde or any other
chemical pollutant in the air you're breathing, and certainly not when
your baby gets here. Formaldehyde gas has been linked to various birth
defects, brain damage, deformities, and more. It just isn't good to
breathe, period. Air quality during pregnancy is very important, and
some say almost as important as your diet. Great care should be taken to
ensure than your indoor air is as clean as possible, using the best
home air filtration systems you can find with substantial activated
carbon filters, HEPA filters, and UV if that's an option. The UV light
is very good for destroying airborne bacteria, mold spores, viruses and
VOC's (volatile organic chemicals) in the air that contribute to odors
as well as a variety of unpleasant health effects.
What to do: you
can easily use a formaldehyde gas detection kit to find out if there is
any of that pollutant floating around in your home. A good brand is BHC
and it's under $100. Or, (and this is recommended if you're pregnant)
you can buy an air cleaner that is capable of removing gases like
formaldehyde, particles, dust mites, VOC's, etc. A very good air cleaner
for this purpose is the Austin HealthMate Plus. It has a significant
amount of quality carbon, it's designed to remove chemicals like
formaldehyde and others, as well as a medical grade HEPA filter, great
warranty, handles 1500 square feet and it's under $650.
Regardless,
if you think you may have formaldehyde in your home or even if you're
not sure, at least buy a test kit and find out. You don't want to end up
with problems down the road from this chemical, and it's proven to
cause issues. If you did have Chinese laminate flooring installed like
the type from Lumber Liquidators, definitely consider getting an air
filtration system to protect your health. There also seems to be a
class-action suit going on for this, so you may want to consult an
attorney to find out what your options are.
Hi, it's Rex Murphy at Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com. We
regularly publish articles like this to help people avoid the hazards of
indoor air pollution and live better lives.
At our online store, we offer a full selection of quality
Austin air cleaners,
replacement filters and formaldehyde detection kits--all at the
cheapest discount prices with free shipping. Call us today with your
questions--we're here to help!
Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com
800-701-2513