formaldehyde

We unknowingly installed wood paneling in our addition that contains urea formaldehyde. We plan to paint the paneling, but we don't know what product will control formaldehyde emissions. I read the following from Healthy House Q&A on this site, but I cannot confirm the report. When I called the Canadian BM paint office, the rep told me that he didn't think their company has made a product that will control formaldehyde emissions. He sounded like he didn't know what formaldehyde is, so my confidence in his response is not high. I hope somebody out there has documentation about a product that will control urea formaldehyde emissions. My painter's coming in the morning, so somebody please have an answer!! Thanks.

Q&A Part 13: Cabinets, Doors, and Trim ... most sealers are imperfect at blocking emissions. Benjamin Moore Paint Co. has a sealer called Impervo that was tested in Canada and found to block 100% of formaldehyde ... Healthy House ... 07/07/2008.

My husband Jan found this interesting paper on using foliage plants to remove pollutants from air-tight energy efficient homes that will be useful to many of us homeowners. It is important for the house to not only be eco-friendly and energy efficient, but to also be healthy. Even though our foam SIP walls (EPS sandwiched between 2 OSB boards) won't offgas, the furniture you may have can "leak" formaldehyde and other pollutants. Plants are a beautiful and economical way to cleanse the air of your house.... MORE HERE

What kinds of health effects can be caused by formaldehyde, and is it a problem for everyone? The answers are:  many and no. There is plenty of scientific proof that cigarettes cause lung cancer, but we have all heard of somebody who smoked their whole life, only to die at 90 years of age after being hit by a truck. Human beings are varied in not only height, weight and hair color, but also in how much pollution their particular metabolism can tolerate. Formaldehyde and cigarettes affect each one of us differently. Some people aren't bothered at all, while the health of others can be totally destroyed.

Since formaldehyde is an animal carcinogen, it is suspected that it can have the same effect on humans. However, there may never be any proof that it will cause cancer in people because it is unethical for researchers to give a suspected carcinogen to human test subjects. While cancer is the disease that scares most of us, there are many other health effects that should also be of concern. The most common complaints are mucous membrane problems such as eye, nose, or sinus irritation, sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion or cough. It can also cause a wide range of other symptoms such as breathing difficulties, chest pain, wheezing, headaches, fatigue, nausea, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea, or vomiting. Women may experience menstrual irregularities, and it has been shown that it can occasionally trigger asthma attacks.

Kevin & Co.,

You mentioned a sealer or primer paint that can seal over old boards that contain formaldehyde, etc. What brand is that, please?

Thanks!
Byron Savage

Byron,

That would be Safecoat Hard Seal. According to livingreen.com, “when applied properly it is particularly effective at sealing in pollution or outgassing of toxic chemical compounds from surfaces.”
Thanks for writing,

Kevin

photo by Dominic Morel