Formaldehyde in the Katrina FEMA trailers increased with temperature. During last weekend’s warm weather, we found that formaldehyde also increased in a Los Altos home.
Tara Lucas and her family had health problems since they moved into their home. Tara had recurring headaches. Four-year old Kerry had frequent colds and enlarged adenoids that required surgery. Two-year old Nicki had asthma since she was three months. The family was out of town for a long weekend, so we turned off their AC and measured formaldehyde in their home as the temperature increased.
The home has MDF doors, baseboards, and crown mouldings, all emitting formaldehyde. Beginning at noon on Saturday, formaldehyde was only 10 ppb throughout the home. As the temperature increased over the weekend, formaldehyde increased to 48 ppb.
We stopped our “experiment” at 7PM on Sunday to open the windows and ventilate the house. In less than an hour, formaldehyde was less than 15 ppb, acceptable for young children to return.
While we were sweltering in a hot house with elevated formaldehyde, the Lucas family was enjoying fresh air in San Diego. Tara emailed that her daughter stopped wheezing and coughing. She is convinced they have a “sick house”, and she is determined to correct the problems.
Tara plans to remove most of the items in the home that emit formaldehyde. During summer, she will cool the house with AC during the day and open the windows at night. A ventilation specialist will add a fresh air intake to her HVAC system.
According to the Handbook of Environmental Health, 4th ed. (p409), indoor formaldehyde concentration roughly doubles for each 10 degrees Fahrenheit. As temperature increases from 70° to 80°, formaldehyde concentration will double. As temperature increases to 90°, formaldehyde will double again to four times the original concentration. If temperature increases to 100°, formaldehyde will double yet again to eight times the original concentration.
The best way to avoid indoor formaldehyde is to avoid products made with formaldehyde resins. If those products are present in the home, keep indoor temperatures as low and ventilate often.
Chart by Linda Kincaid.
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