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Pharmacy Links

UNDERSTANDING ALLERGY: FERRETING OUT FORMALDEHYDE

07/04/09

Seven million pounds of formaldehyde are produced each year. Obviously, it’s not all used to preserve lab specimens in school biology classes. The colorless, pungent liquid winds up in a variety of widely used products, from plywood and rugs to permanent-press clothing. Chemically, formaldehyde is fairly unstable – it easily breaks down into a toxic gas that seeps into the air and causes illness. The theory that explains formaldehyde sickness says that the inhaled molecules of the gas combine with a protein in the respiratory tract to form another substance capable of triggering the immune reaction we know as allergy.

Classic symptoms of short-term formaldehyde exposure are burning eyes, headaches, itchy skin or rashes, chest pain, a runny nose or nasal congestion, dry cough, nausea and a sore throat. Diarrhoea and asthma may also be a problem.

‘Since [formaldehyde] is so ubiquitous, common respiratory diseases such as asthma and other phenomena such as allergic dermatitis may be more frequently associated with formaldehyde than is currently realized,’ says Dr Ralph E. Yodaiken of the Centers for Disease Control, in an editorial for one of the most widely read medical journals in the US.

A case of formaldehyde-induced illness that affected hundreds of people occurred at a new administration building at a state college in Pennsylvania. After working in the office for three years, secretaries and administrators alike began to experience the symptoms described above. They would get progressively worse during the day, but feel better at night and on the weekends. When winter came and the heating system was turned on, people felt even worse. A squad of consultants was called in to conduct tests. The cause was narrowed down to formaldehyde gas generated by furniture and by bookshelves made from laminated chipboard and plywood (two common sources of formaldehyde).

As with so many new homes and office buildings, energy-saving measures had cut fresh air to practically nil. So part of the ‘cure’ was to open the windows, flooding the entire building with outside air for two weeks. The offensive desks and bookshelves were also replaced. After being left vacant for a full year, the building was eventually reopened. The staff resumed their work – without symptoms.

That scenario has repeated itself again and again in office buildings from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. And evidence now shows that long-term exposure to formaldehyde may cause cancer. Several doctors we spoke to express the hope that if consumers voluntarily avoid formaldehyde-laced products, manufacturers will be reluctant to put them on the market in the first place.

But for now, you’ll have to be your own formaldehyde watchdog. Read labels before you buy. Look carefully: formaldehyde may be disguised as formol, methylene oxide or formalin. Here are some other tips.

• If you’re doing any home building or remodeling, it may be worth your while to spend extra money for solid, genuine wood instead of chipboard and plywood.

• If your house already has lots of plywood and chipboard – in partitions, wardrobes, cupboards and furniture – paint the surfaces with a low-permeability paint.

• Instead of formaldehyde-soaked carpeting, use washable cotton rugs on your floors. (They also cut down on dust and mould.)

• Before buying a house, check to see if it’s foam insulated. If it is, keep shopping – or plan to have the insulation removed.