a colorless pungent gas (smell ranges from resembling of pickles to cloying to sickening and suffocating) mainly used in the production of industrial resins, e.g., for particle board and coatings for walls, cabinets and other furniture, in the manufacture of pesticides and disinfectants. It is the simplest aldehyde with formula CH2O , made by oxidizing methanol, and is also known by its systematic name methanal. In view of its widespread use, toxicity, and volatility, formaldehyde is a significant consideration for human health. Most industrial emissions of formaldehyde -- 42% -- are from the lumber industry, which uses adhesives containing formaldehyde to make plywood. Formaldehyde has been linked to lung cancer, and may also cause leukemia and asthma attacks. Diesel emissions also contribute to formaldehyde pollution, and NRDC's ongoing work to clean up diesel is having an important impact.
To minimize formaldehyde exposures at home, make sure any wood furniture or fixtures that use particleboard are laminated or otherwise coated, choose exterior- rather than interior-grade pressed wood products for remodeling and be sure that areas where you are using products containing formaldehyde are well ventilated.
Formaldehyde can be detected in human breath and, like "breathalyzer" test, is a reliable indicator of formaldehyde levels in blood. It can be also detected in urine. In an older study (Berthold Moser, et al., Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, Vol. 145, Issues 2-3, February 2005), the median level of formaldehyde in human breath was 4.3 parts per billion (ppb) with levels of 6.3 ppb, 40 ppb and 73 ppb of the 75th, 97.5th and maximum percentiles, respectively.
To minimize formaldehyde exposures at home, make sure any wood furniture or fixtures that use particleboard are laminated or otherwise coated, choose exterior- rather than interior-grade pressed wood products for remodeling and be sure that areas where you are using products containing formaldehyde are well ventilated.
Formaldehyde can be detected in human breath and, like "breathalyzer" test, is a reliable indicator of formaldehyde levels in blood. It can be also detected in urine. In an older study (Berthold Moser, et al., Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, Vol. 145, Issues 2-3, February 2005), the median level of formaldehyde in human breath was 4.3 parts per billion (ppb) with levels of 6.3 ppb, 40 ppb and 73 ppb of the 75th, 97.5th and maximum percentiles, respectively.
