At 10:30 AM 12/4/00 +1300, Chris Perley wrote:
>Make sure you encourage lots of plastics and aluminium as well John.
Lest we forgot to add sliding siding made from wood wastes and
urea-formaldehyde oriented strand board...termite pesticides like toxaphene,
etc., clostridium which is found in wooden houses because of leaking roofs,
etc.
Indoor Air Quality Tech Tip #43 - Formaldehyde in Air
Formaldehyde is a colorless gas and has a pungent odor in concentrations
greater than 0.2 ppm. It is a ubiquitous chemical that was used in a wide
variety of products, and was used most frequently in building materials
during initial construction or renovation. Formaldehyde was once one of the
most widely used chemicals in the United States. Urea and phenol
formaldehyde resins have been used to produce adhesives, bonding and
laminating agents, foam insulation, fabrics, coatings, and paper.
Formaldehyde's high concentration use in building materials and furnishings
has made it a ubiquitous contaminant of indoor air. Although many products
have the potential for releasing formaldehyde into the indoor air only a few
are responsible for causing significant levels of contamination. Pressed
wood products and urea-formaldehyde foam release formaldehyde at greater
magnitudes than most other products. Wood products are a major source of
indoor formaldehyde contamination. These products are bonded or finished
with urea formaldehyde (U-F) resins. The U-F resins are responsible for the
formaldehyde liberation into the indoor air. Environments that have been
known to show high levels of formaldehyde contamination in indoor air are
mobile homes, homes constructed with particleboard sub-flooring, and homes
insulated with urea-formaldehyde foam (UFFI). Additionally, formaldehyde is
released into the air by burning wood, kerosene or natural gas, by
automobiles and by cigarettes.
The health effects of formaldehyde can vary significantly from person to
person. While some individuals can be very sensitive, others may not have a
noticeable reaction. When present in the air at a concentration above 0.1
parts per million it can cause water eyes, burning sensations in the eyes,
nose and throat, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes
and allergenic reactions. Formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in
laboratory animals and may cause cancer in humans.
Irritant properties of formaldehyde are most likely the majority of
complaints associated with indoor air quality. Formaldehyde can affect the
eye, skin, and upper respiratory tract. The mucous membrane irritation is
the complaint most commonly reported. Irritations such as eye irritation,
nose and sinus irritation, sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion and
cough all fall under this category. Secondary complaints are chest pain,
difficulty in breathing, and wheezing. Formaldehyde related symptoms might
also be neurological (headaches), gastrointestinal (vomiting), and
reproductive (menstrual irregularities). There have been studies to show
that there is a dose-response relationship between formaldehyde in indoor
spaces.
Although formaldehyde can induce asthma attacks as a non-specific irritant,
instances of this are rare. Dermal and whole body sensitization has been
well documented in dialysis patients. The formaldehyde-induced asthma is
associated with formaldehyde specific antibodies, these antibodies are
indicative of an allergic type sensitization and have been reported in
non-asthmatic patients exposed to high levels of formaldehyde in mobile
homes. The significance of this is that formaldehyde has the potential for
causing allergy type symptoms in sensitized individuals at much lower
concentrations.
The most controversial health effect from exposure to formaldehyde is its
carcinogenic potential in humans. Formaldehyde has been conclusively
demonstrated to be an animal carcinogen. The EPA has classified formaldehyde
as a "Probable Human Carcinogen" based on sufficient animal data and limited
human evidence. The EPA has projected an upper bound risk of developing
cancer for people exposed for more than 10 years to an average of 0.10 ppm
to be 2 in 10,000.
When sampling for formaldehyde it is very undesirable to test under
conditions that produce results reflecting the minimum levels of
formaldehyde contamination. "Near worst case" conditions of building
closure are needed to assess the acute health affects of formaldehyde in a
structure. "Near worst case" refers to the upper end range of normal living
conditions of temperature and relative humidity. For example, during much
of the heating season and in air-conditioned houses, windows and doors are
generally closed except for the normal in-and-out traffic. During testing,
closure is needed to reflect such exposures and reduce variability
associated with occupant practices.
Air testing only reflects concentrations present at the time of testing. In
many cases, air testing is conducted after formaldehyde concentrations have
already declined. Concentrations may decline as much as 50-90% depending on
the building type, source materials present, and the extent of their use,
climatic conditions, occupant use factors, and time elapsed since
construction or product manufacture. In general test results don't indicate
prior exposures that may have initiated health problems or caused
sensitization in an individual. Therefore, interpretation of formaldehyde
test results must include some sort of qualitative or quantitative
assessment of prior exposures. A table of formaldehyde decay rates may be
useful in the interpretation of the test results.
At least one field blank should be used for each day of field sampling and
they should be shipped and analyzed with each group of samples. The field
blank is treated identically to the samples except that no air is drawn
through the cartridge.
____
LINK
^^^^^^
http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=067CD000
http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1910_1048.html
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html
http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/clinpdq/risk/Formaldehyde.html
____________________
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Microbial Fact #1: Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus, is
the most frequent cause of bacterial pneumonia. This bacterium causes 3,000
cases of meningitis, 50,000 bloodstream infections, ½ million cases of
bacterial pneumonia, and 7 million cases of ear infections each year in the
United States according to the CDC.
Fungal Fact #1: Sporothrichosis usually occurs in the skin and the lymph
nodes, and can be recurring if not treated. The organism causing the
disease, Sporothrix schenkii, a dimorphic fungus, is found in soil, timber,
sphagnum moss, and other plant material, and appears in most temperate and
tropical climates of the world. (Lushniak, Boris D. Occupational Infectious
Diseases with Dermatologic Features, Chapter 21 from Occupational and
Environmental Infectious Diseases)
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*** Aerotech now offers the Air-O-Cell Mini Pump. The pump is designed
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" Again shows the lengths to which environmentalists will go to try and avoid
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