Formaldehyde, a hidden compound in your furniture
Formaldehyde is a chemical compound widely used in building materials, paints, adhesives, furniture, fabrics, and even cosmetics. One of its most common uses – around 64% of the applications of formaldehyde according to TURI - and the one that hits closest to home for designers, is in composite or pressed woods such as particleboards, fibreboards, and plywood. Most commonly in the form of urea-formaldehyde resin, this compound is found within adhesives used to join wood laminates or particles. Formaldehyde was first introduced for this purpose in the 1950s, but its usage has been regulated since then due to the negative impact on human health.
Formaldehyde has been deemed as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as long exposure to this chemical compound may cause irritation of the eyes and upper airways. In severe cases, it can trigger symptoms for those with asthma, and some may experience difficulty breathing or wheezing. Thus, the concentration of formaldehyde in many products has been regulated by the USA, China, Japan and, most strictly of all, the European Union.
“In severe cases, it can trigger symptoms for those with asthma, and some may experience difficulty breathing or wheezing.”
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC), meaning that it becomes a gas at room temperature. The release of this colorless gas, or the process of “off-gassing”, increases with temperature and humidity. In pressed woods, the largest impact is in production during the hot-pressing of the wood panels, as well as during the first few years of use. Although off-gassing of formaldehyde occurs rapidly during initial production, emissions decrease over time. The Healthy House Institute has estimated that it takes 6-10 years for formaldehyde in a piece of furniture to completely off-gas.
“Once consumers are informed, they can take a few actions to limit the amount of formaldehyde they might inhale throughout the years.”
Once consumers are informed, they can take a few actions to limit the amount of formaldehyde they might inhale throughout the years. First, it is recommended that the user airs out the piece of furniture in an open space or a garage for a few days. During the off-gassing process, formaldehyde is known to give off an unpleasant smell but proper ventilation, exhaust fans, and keeping the temperature and humidity low may help. Another action that a consumer can take is buying furniture that is more than ten years old, as the chemical will have likely been completely released.
As designers, we have some power over the usage of formaldehyde. The most obvious step we can take is to reduce the amount of pressed woods that we use and substitute them with solid wood. In case the design requires the use of composite woods, we can choose those with ultra-low-emitting-formaldehyde resins (ULEF). When avoiding formaldehyde, we must not forget about the paints and lacquers as these can also contain this chemical compound.
As regulations become stricter, more and more innovative solutions are arising to provide alternatives for conventional pressed woods. This will also lower the costs of these alternatives which will hopefully be more readily available.
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