http://www.care2.com/greenliving/salvation-sealant-for-formaldehyde-ask-annie.html
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.
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please make people unerstand once the damage is done it is irreversible to your body. It is called chemical asthma where you are now sensitive to all smells especially chemicals. It gives you the feeling of shortness of breath, vocal cords tighten, almost losing your voice totally. I am talking from experience but my exposure was through handicapped custom van made by Companion Vans, inc in Miss also it was under water too which did not help. It is completely rusted underneath. For proof go to WWW.consumeraffiars.org and type in the search : KATRINA LEGACY and watch the video..…
I was exposed for approx 8 months bbecause you do not have a smell at first...the levels are 4 times of legal limit at 1.9 ppm's. I am and also my family and my handicapped son permantently damaged by this exposure.
Make the commitment and sign the petition for clean in door act at WWWW.cleanindoorair.org so that more people will not suffer like my family is.
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Great question, DC Matthews. The problem with formaldehyde is that it is part of the structure of particle board, etc., and it will never outgass completely! Your general premise is a good one, though, for many building materials you're solution would work well.--Annie
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Spider plants are also good at cleansing the air inside a house. here is a great list of air cleansing plants: http://houseplants.suite101.com/article.cfm/houseplants_and_clean_air
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i have a stupid question. if it out gases
and you heat the house really hot- say for a weekend while your away and then let all air out.
do a cheap motel vacation ...or go camping?
would this permanently get rid of some before you safe seal?
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NASA scientists were looking into the plants that remove toxins such as formaldehyde from the air to help the astronauts living in a sealed system with lots of synthetic materials. It turns out that the common houseplant Philodendron is a champ at removing formaldehyde from the air! So this could be another preventative measure, besides having houseplants can add beauty to your surroundings!
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