Indoor air measurement of formaldehyde can be carried out precisely with the GSA measuring devices SG5200. Due to the health hazards of formaldehyde, it is recommended to measure indoor air with the SG5200 if there is any suspicion. In the event of outgassing, formaldehyde has potentially harmful effects on the human body.
Exposure to formaldehyde emissions has increased significantly in recent decades, as solid wood furniture, which is no longer harmless to health, no longer dominates interior design. The wood-based materials used are often chipboard with different coatings. Many modern furnishings are largely made of chipboard with a veneered or laminate surface. Formaldehyde often escapes from this furniture, especially in areas where the surface is damaged.
Particleboard with formaldehyde binders
The chipboard of the furniture consists of wood fibers that are firmly bonded with binding agents such as glue. In the meantime, more low-emission chipboard and wood-based materials are being produced, as the limit values for indoor formaldehyde have been continuously reduced.
However, wood-based materials are still predominantly glued on the basis of formaldehyde. The chipboards consist of 0.01-0.3 mm wood chips. They are held together by resin-based adhesives. Formaldehyde can then be emitted from these. Resin binders include urea, phenolic or melamine resin.
The coatings of chipboard such as veneer or laminate usually provide a certain barrier against possible outgassing of formaldehyde. However, if these are damaged by nails, drilling or breakage, the emissions can lead to increased health risks and even cancer.
Many people suffer from headaches or allergies because they see no connection between formaldehyde emissions and their furniture. They are not aware that they are breathing in formaldehyde from their furniture for many hours during the night in their bedroom, for example, which causes these health problems. Scientific studies at the workplace have shown that particularly high levels of formaldehyde exposure lead to more cases of cancer in the nasal cavity and nasopharynx. In 2015, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula CH2O. It belongs to the aldehyde group of substances and is its simplest representative. With an annual production of around 21 million tons, it is one of the most produced chemicals. In the chemical industry, formaldehyde is used in the production of phenolic and urea resins. Formaldehyde is also used in other areas, for example as a disinfectant, preservative or fungicide.
Formaldehyde limit values
In order to minimize the risk of exceeding the indoor guideline value for formaldehyde, a new test method for formaldehyde emissions from wood-based materials was established with the reference standard DIN EN 16516. In order to produce products with lower emissions and thus minimize harmful influences, formaldehyde emissions were newly regulated on 01.01.2020 by changing the reference method. Stricter limit values for formaldehyde emissions will apply from this date. They will affect all wood-based products that come onto the German market from 2020. The previous limit values have been halved. This means a reduction of 0.1 ppm to 0.05 ppm. In general, formaldehyde emissions are regulated in the Chemicals Prohibition Ordinance in Germany.
Sources:
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www.baustoffwissen.de/baustoffe/baustoffknowhow/forschung_technik_trends/spanholzplatten-wohngesundheit-bindemittel-formaldehyd-voc-formaldehydfrei-f0-emissionsklassen-polyurethanharz-magnesit/
www.bm-online.de/wissen/moebel-und-innenausbau/neue-grenzwerte-fuer-formaldehyd/
www.de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyd
www.dgk.de/gesundheit/umwelt-gesundheit/informationen/wohnen/unsichtbare-bedrohung-aus-moebeln-formaldehyd-schadstoff-mit-langem-atem.html