Why Fighting Against Formaldehyde Is Crucial and There Is Only One Solution Around it.
“Long-term exposure to formaldehyde may contribute to cognitive impairment in older age, according to a recent study out of France.”
“ Formaldehyde has been deemed as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ”
“ In severe cases, formaldehyde can trigger symptoms for those with asthma, and some may experience difficulty breathing or wheezing.”
How often have you heard of these stress inducing sentences being used, or worse, having experienced any of them? Doesn’t a thought like that haunt you the entire day? But what exactly is formaldehyde and why should we bother? The truth is, that it is all around us at all times. However, the solution is never complacence, but the answer is not so simple either.
Formaldehyde is usually detected by the foul scent or odour, it starts getting your eyes itchy and can also cause rashes or wheezing. This is very commonly seen in fresh premises after renovation. Therefore it applies to both residential and commercial units, where most of us spend most of our day. This harmful chemical compound is widely used in paints, adhesives, fabrics, furniture, building materials, cosmetics and weirdly enough, to preserve dead bodies.
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, fiber boards, 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.
Airing out your home out is the best way to breathe pure air. Good cross ventilation has proven to be effective in off gassing, however, the issue arises currently, where in people spend more and more time indoors and are exposed to influences as a result of modern settings and lifestyles, new construction methods and materials. To think about it, in a modern nuclear family of everyday, the parents are in office and the children go to school for most of the day, leaving their home locked behind them, the windows and remain shut which causes the formaldehyde to be trapped indoors. The home is usually aired out for some time, till it’s the end of the day and all the doors and windows are shut once again. The ventilation remains minimal, and most Singaporeans end up spending most of their time within air conditioned spaces, with the temperatures set to low, Considering the hot and humid Singaporean weather.
In these conditions, off gassing of your home remains none to minimal as well, leading to further and more prolonged exposure to formaldehyde. This effect is compounded over time and leads to higher risks of allergies and other symptoms (e.g. coughing, chest pain and shortness of breath). Left untreated, these seemingly “trivial” issues can worsen over time.
Unfortunately, formaldehyde is found nearly in every home, despite the efforts in the awareness of it’s ill-effects — and the products inside. While you may not be able to eliminate your exposure completely, there are some ways you can mitigate the risk and keep your family and yourself at lower risks at home. Awareness of the same has boomed specially in an industry which specializes in the removal of Formaldehyde in homes and interior spaces. There are a range of Dyson products available in the market which specialize in air purifying, apart from those highly popular ones, there are even service providers who come and spray your home out of the formaldehyde anxiety.
Some turn to formaldehyde removal services to reduce the formaldehyde levels in their home but it has been proven to not solve the root issue — especially when the source of formaldehyde involves raw materials used to build the interiors of the house, in such a scenario, the spray is bound to wear off and the formaldehyde which exists in the core of your furniture is inevitably going to be emitted once again, after a certain period. The toxic emissions in this case are bound to be inevitable, directing all the money spent on the service to nowhere but the drain, since all the emissions were only suppressed for a time being, and not confronted with at its inner cause.
Wouldn’t it be better to not having to spend considerable amount of time, money and energy stressing over the issues caused by formaldehyde and just trying to tackle the emissions rather than taping on the root of the issue and using consciously made furniture which emits the least amount of formaldehyde in the first place?
Most developed countries like the USA, China, Japan and, most strictly of all, the European Union has strictly regulated the concentration of formaldehyde in all the furniture products produced by them, including the furniture they’re in charge of for being imported and exported. However, there have been no such progressions here in Asia. The laws around formaldehyde remain vague and flexible, although Asians are equally health conscious, if not more. It is about time that we step up and pioneer the way into a safer and healthier living environment.
Hence, at eCube.space, we aim to minimise the negative impacts as much as possible by firstly being aware of the importance of indoor air quality, as buildings are becoming more insulated and draught-free. This is the reason why we work hand in hand with EGGER, as they intensively test the emissions of their boards and have them measured by independent institutes. Our wood and modular furniture abides strictly by the world’s stringiest tests.
Feeling comfortable and safe in your own must not be seen as a privilege, and that is the aim we work towards.
