Many brands of Fiberglas insulation emit carcinogenic formaldehyde gas. Chamber tests of Fiberglas batts found that most products on the market emitted more formaldehyde than allowed under California’s 01350 standard.
California’s 01350 standard can be helpful in designing healthy office buildings. However, the 01350 standard was not developed for use in homes, and the standard may not be adequately protective for homes.
Berkeley based Healthy Building Network pointed out that the 01350 model was based on office buildings with constant forced ventilation. Those buildings have fresh air introduced at a rate of at least ¾ of an air change per hour (ACH).
Very few homes have continuous forced ventilation. Homes studied by the California Air Resources Board had only 0.1-0.2 ACH, less than 20% of the ventilation assumed in the 01350 model. Tightly sealed homes allow so little fresh air infiltration that unhealthful concentrations of formaldehyde can accumulate.
It should also be noted that the standard of 13.5 ppb formaldehyde used in 01350 is not health protective, and it is not appropriate for use in homes. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) set their Chronic Reference Exposure Level (CREL) at just 7 ppb formaldehyde.
The State of California recommends avoiding products with added formaldehyde. Many brands of batt insulation and some free insulation contain added formaldehyde. Other alternative are available, and some manufacturers are changing their formulations due to public demand. Check Healthy Building Network for the latest product news.
Cancer is not the only health hazard associated with formaldehyde. Other adverse health outcomes include asthma, bronchitis, headache, sleep disorders, and chronic fatigue.
Bringing fresh air into the home will reduce formaldehyde concentration. Open windows every day for a healthy home. Ventilation in the afternoon or early evening is the most important.
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