Formaldehyde is a product that is very popular these days, especially in affordable furniture, but we keep seeing warnings from news reports that formaldehyde is not safe. Let’s take a deeper look. Formaldehyde is a chemical that’s used in “glues, wood products, preservatives, permanent press fabrics, paper product coatings, and certain insulation materials” (NSC.org). It’s also found in cigarettes.  Most likely, you have this chemical in your own home. One store that tends to get a bad wrap for formaldehyde is IKEA. IKEA, a store that has many green practices, happens to also use formaldehyde as a wood binder, adhesive, and finish. The problem is that these products made out of formaldehyde actually release formaldehyde gas into the air. For most people, if the amount of formaldehyde is less than 0.1 ppm (parts per million) it is unnoticed. Exposure to high levels (above 0.1ppm), however, ”can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing… It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans” (EPA).

There are some things you can do to reduce the level of fermaldehyde in your home: you can use exterior grade pressed-wood products, maintain moderate temperatures, reduce humidity levels, increase ventilation, and prevent the act of smoking indoors. We have had IKEA furniture and Target furniture handed down to us from over the years that contains fermaldehyde. Most noticibly in the beginning of the ownership, we could smell and notice the fermaldehyde, especially every time we dismantled or rebuilt the product. We hope that in taking the appropriate steps mentioned above, we can live safely with these products in our home without having to throw them out and purchase new materials.

[source1] [source2]