{"id":8125,"date":"2008-04-28T05:56:24","date_gmt":"2008-04-28T12:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gasdetection.com\/?page_id=8125"},"modified":"2019-03-06T07:50:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T15:50:15","slug":"formaldehyde-phobia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gasdetection.com\/interscan-in-the-news\/magazine-articles\/formaldehyde-phobia\/","title":{"rendered":"Formaldehyde Phobia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Health<\/a><\/p>\n

April 28, 2008<\/p>\n

Formaldehyde Phobia<\/p>\n\"Formaldehyde\"\n

By\u00a0 Michael D. Shaw<\/p>\n

Although we all know what a phobia is, the full definition might provide some additional insight…<\/p>\n

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phobia<\/span>:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject, having occasionally a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, and serving to protect the ego against anxiety arising from unexpressed aggressive impulses\u00a0\u00a0 [Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged<\/span>. Merriam-Webster, 2002.]<\/p>\n

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It started a few months ago with the FEMA trailers. Elevated levels of the chemical were discovered in some of them, and the beleaguered agency found itself mired in another public relations disaster.<\/p>\n

The problem is, it’s very difficult to get away from formaldehyde! Look anywhere in your home or workplace\u2014at the wood products, paint, drapery, carpets, paper, and insulation materials\u2014to name just a few items. They all contain formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas that can trigger numerous nasty health effects. Relatively low concentrations of formaldehyde can cause searing eye irritation, skin rashes, and a host of respiratory symptoms.<\/p>\n

As to the trailers, the source was very likely excessive outgassing from manufactured wood products\u2014including particleboard and medium density fiberboard\u2014where formaldehyde is an important component in the very adhesives that hold them together. To be sure, since 1984, in accordance with 24 CFR 3280.308 [Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards], the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has promulgated regulations limiting formaldehyde emissions in plywood materials to no more than 0.2 ppm (parts-per-million) and in particleboard materials to no more than 0.3 ppm, when installed in manufactured homes.<\/p>\n

Experience has shown that these levels, mixed in the general air of the manufactured home, will normally keep emissions below 0.01 ppm. One can only speculate how, in the rush and crush of the Katrina disaster, non-compliant materials ended up in the trailers.<\/p>\n

Other standards include:<\/p>\n