At these times, I think all of us are aware of the hazards associated with carbon monoxide and natural gases, yet another kind of chemical gas that is actually a component of various products due to its low-priced value, is hazardous as well. Formaldehyde is the name of this gas compound. In fact, as I’ve gotten deeper in my study, I discovered that more goods have this hazardous chemical as one of its ingredients. From the time we became aware of the dangers of formaldehydes, products containing this chemical can no longer be seen in our household. The last ones that we bought were disposed immediately.
Your skin is open to formaldehyde exposure if you often put make up on your face. Clothes also contain some amounts of formaldehyde, so you would still be exposed to it unless you stop wearing the garments that has it. Little amounts of formaldehyde may exist in your hair cleansers. Industrial materials, medicines to name a few, compost, domestic products, formalin, paints, furniture and house furnishings are among the many things that contains formaldehyde. Likewise, burning natural gases, fuels, charcoals, wood or tobacco also results to formaldehyde fumes. The main users are wood products, with particleboard, fiberboard and plywood consuming about one third of formaldehyde use. When the product is fresh from the factory, formaldehyde discharge is at its peak but will drop as time passes by.
Formaldehyde is a known colorless cancer causing gas compound and causes a number of health issues including dizziness, nausea, chronic fatigue, rashes, and hives. There are even more critical conditions. People overexposed to it usually find themselves gasping for their breaths, their hearts pounding, ears infected, becoming forgetful, losing concentration, feeling miserable, losing sleep, with burning sensations in the muscle and joints, terrible headaches, and deteriorating health and above all, cancer.
Formaldehyde is big business, having a 100-year history of existence. Manufacturers of formaldehyde in America produced 11.3 billion pounds in 1998. In 2004, formaldehyde turn-out was a huge 46 billion pounds and continues to increase. It wasn’t unexpected that government would not forbid formaldehyde’s inclusion in consumer products given that it was a large player in the industry. Nevertheless, during 1985, an ordinance in the State of Minnesota was passed stating that specified industrial materials that utilize urea formaldehyde must have warning labels indicating such.
We had a bag not long ago that we acquired. It was leather and black in color. However it smelled so bad of formaldehyde that we had to get rid of it. If you think that there are things in your possession that may have formaldehyde in it, immediately throw it away. That is the most effective way to keep yourself from getting exposed to it. And – never have anything with exposed particleboard in your sleeping area. Some additional things you can do to protect yourself from formaldehyde poisoning are read all labels on all products, limit exposure or contact as much as possible, install a formaldehyde alarm in your home to alert you to any leaks from building materials or fumes from burning materials that might drift into the home from outside, improve air quality in your home by making sure there is adequate and constant natural fresh air ventilation and circulation, especially in mobile home or any prefabricated housing.
Protect yourself. Be smart and use your common sense. Take the required precautionary actions in your home to ensure the safety of the whole family.
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