For a thoughtfully designed indoor environment
Formaldehyde, a simple chemical compound (abbreviated HCHO), was the second mass-produced product of the emerging plastics age, following celluloid. In 1907, the Flemish chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland invented “Bakelite,” a synthetic resin derived from formaldehyde and phenol. Subsequently, the chemical became a staple in the products of the burgeoning consumer society: formaldehyde resins bind together materials such as chipboard and plywood and, for instance, help bras retain their shape. Formaldehyde also hardens fingernails.
This compound is a true all-rounder among chemicals. Annual production in Germany amounts to half a million tonnes. Almost 40 per cent of this is consumed by the wood industry. The substance is a component of synthetic resin adhesives used to bond thin layers of wood or wood chips into plywood or chipboard. Typically, particularly inexpensive urea-formaldehyde resins are used for this purpose; these break down easily into their constituent parts, continuously releasing formaldehyde in the process. Low-cost furniture from the Eastern Bloc, in particular, contains chipboard of this inferior quality.
Thin veneers used as a top layer do not provide sufficient protection against these emissions unless they are additionally sealed with a lacquer. Furthermore, many of the adhesives used to bond the veneers contain significant amounts of formaldehyde. Narrow edges are rarely covered, allowing formaldehyde to escape directly from the chipboard into the indoor air. High temperatures—such as those occurring in summer or during the heating season—significantly accelerate this off-gassing. Consequently, elevated exposure levels are most common in new buildings during the summer months. This can result in indoor formaldehyde concentrations that remain well above the recommended limit of 0.1 ppm for months at a time. Prefabricated houses, caravans, and buildings containing large amounts of chipboard are of particular concern.
Wood has many friends. Ceiling and wall panelling have enjoyed growing popularity for several years. Countless DIY enthusiasts are covering their walls with “wallpaper from the forest.” However, wood also has many enemies: the house longhorn beetle, the powder-post beetle, wood wasps, true dry rot, cellar fungus, the fir-wood gilled polypore, blue stain, and a host of other insects and fungi, among others.
Note: Certification confirms that a product met the requirements of the applicable testing programme at the time of testing. It does not provide a comprehensive assessment of a product’s suitability for health or of the health effects of an entire indoor environment.
Testing building products against published criteria since 1982.
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