Salvation Sealant for Formaldehyde? Ask Annie

Dear Annie,
After reading about how the formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers for Hurricane Katrina survivors, I’ve been concerned about formaldehyde in my home. While I don’t live in a trailer, there is a lot of pressed wood and particle board in the building of this house, including in the kitchen cabinets. –Sam, MI

Dear Sam,
I am glad you wrote. A Center for Disease Control standard says that people exposed to as a little as 30 parts of formaldehyde per billion parts of air (ppb) for more than two weeks can suffer constricted airways, headaches and rashes. The trailers used by FEMA all measured above that level. Hopefully you don’t have that much formaldehyde, but getting rid of what you do have is a great goal.

I’ve loved to Safe Coat Safe Seal ever since it came on the market so many decades ago. It has been no end of help to the chemically sensitive, and I love the idea of it being used pro-actively to protect you and your family’s health. On the site AFM, the manufacturer, mentions that “It is used primarily to reduce toxic outgassing: in particular it is highly effective at sealing in formaldehyde outgassing from processed wood such as plywood, particle board and pressed wood. Safecoat Safe Seal is virtually odorless on application and odorless once cured. It is SCS CERTIFIED–LEED QUALIFIED.” I’ve used it and it really works.

Heads up that formaldehyde is released at higher levels when the product is heated. For example, if the sun shines on a particle board bulletin board, heating it up, formaldehyde will outgass at a higher rate than if the bulletin board had no heat or sun heating it up. The same would be true if a cabinet made of pressed wood is up against an oven that when turned on warms the cabinet.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Chris R.

5:11AM PDT on Nov 4, 2011

Thanks!~

send a green star

Josephine L.

5:18PM PDT on May 3, 2011

Thew, heavy stuff! God knows how much poisoning we are getting from such stuff? I never really thought about it until I read this post.

Lynn C.

8:18PM PST on Dec 19, 2010

This is fantastic! My parents and I live in a manufactured home and I have been concerned about formaldehyde in cabinetry, so thank you for the solution.

Kath R.

4:08AM PST on Dec 19, 2010

This looks like a great produce. I'll be exploring the site to see if the product is available where I live.

11:47AM PDT on Apr 16, 2010

THANKS!

11:45AM PDT on Apr 16, 2010

Steffanie B.

10:13PM PDT on Mar 30, 2010

I wonder what laminate flooring does to a body? This is a very interesting article!

Charly G.

11:04AM PST on Mar 8, 2010

great article,will be putting some house plants indoors