How high is the formaldehyde concentration the bottom line?

Nowadays, in addition to PM2.5, the pollution problem of formaldehyde is one of the most concerned problems of the people. Especially female classmates, especially female classmates who have children, are afraid of formaldehyde like tigers, talk about formaldehyde discoloration, talk about decoration fear, and even hope to live in a world with zero formaldehyde. Indeed, formaldehyde is one of the most well-known carcinogenic teratogenic air pollutants on the earth, in Baidu Encyclopedia, the harm of formaldehyde is described by the following words.

"When formaldehyde reaches a certain concentration indoors, people have discomfort. Formaldehyde concentrations greater than 0.08m3 can cause redness, itchy eyes, throat discomfort or pain, hoarseness, sneezing, chest tightness, asthma, dermatitis, etc. ”

"Long-term, low-concentration exposure to formaldehyde can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensory disturbances, decreased immunity, and may cause drowsiness, memory loss or neurasthenia, and mental depression; The harm of chronic poisoning to the respiratory system is also huge, long-term exposure to formaldehyde can cause respiratory dysfunction and liver toxic lesions, manifested as liver cell damage, abnormal liver radiation energy and so on. ”

A new study published by the Cancer Institute on May 12, 2009 shows that chemical plant workers who are frequently exposed to formaldehyde are much more likely to die from cancers such as blood cancer and lymphoma than workers who are less exposed to formaldehyde. The researchers surveyed 25,000 chemical plant workers who produced formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin and found that the workers who had the most exposure to formaldehyde had a 37 percent higher mortality rate than those with the fewest opportunities. Researchers have analyzed that long-term exposure to formaldehyde increases the chance of suffering from special cancers such as Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myeloid leukemia. ”

First, an absolute formaldehyde environment is difficult to find in real human life.

Second, the pathogenic risk of formaldehyde depends on the concentration and dose. Below a certain concentration, the damage to health is negligible, and above a certain concentration, it will produce different health damage according to personal constitution, resistance and different doses of formaldehyde concentration.

Furniture, paint wallpaper, glue, sanitary ware... All kinds of decoration materials contain more or less chemical pollutants, "all the behavior of talking about toxicity aside from the dosage is hooliganism", and the pollutant content exceeds the standard, which may cause harm to the human body.

1. Benzene

Mainly from coatings, paints, adhesives, wallpaper, carpets, synthetic fibers and cleaners, solvents, etc. Benzene has a special fragrance, but it is a strong carcinogen, long-term inhalation of excessive benzene will destroy the human circulatory system and hematopoietic function, resulting in leukemia.

2. Formaldehyde

Mainly from plates, glue, wall decoration materials, mattresses, etc. Formaldehyde has a pungent odor, and exceeding the standard may cause nasopharyngeal cancer, sinus cancer, and may also cause leukemia.

3. Radon

The main hiding places are granite and sanitary ware and other products. Radon is a natural radioactive gas, colorless and odorless, like "invisible smoke", it has become the second largest cause of lung cancer after smoking.

4. Ammonia

Mainly from concrete additives and interior decoration materials, especially in winter construction, a large number of them are present in antifreeze. Ammonia is very soluble in water, has a fast effect on the eyes, throat and upper respiratory tract, and is highly irritating. After inhaling a large amount of ammonia in the short term, there will be symptoms such as tearing, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, dizziness, vomiting, and fatigue.

5. TVOC (total volatile organic compounds)

Mainly from furniture, wallpaper and so on. Excessive inhalation will affect the central nervous system, causing people to have symptoms such as dizziness, headache, drowsiness, chest tightness and so on; It can also affect the digestive system, making people lose their appetite, make people sick, and in severe cases damage the liver and hematopoietic system.

The lowest concentration of formaldehyde pathogenicity, 0.07 μg/m3?

There are many studies on the pathogenic dose and pathogenic response of formaldehyde, and the data are not uniform. In particular, there are very few research on the pathogenesis of the human body, because no one dares to casually study the living people. Many studies have used mice as experimental subjects.

The data seen so far is that mice exposed to 15 micrograms per cubic meter (0.015 mg) of formaldehyde per cubic meter for up to 11 months can cause nasal cancer. While an adult mouse weighs about 300 grams, our newborn baby generally weighs between 2500 grams and 4000 grams, which is more than 10 times that of mice. This means that a formaldehyde concentration of 150 μg/m3 (i.e., 0.15 mg/m3) and sustained breathing for 20 months or more may cause the newborn to become ill.

But is this something that can only be achieved by a polluted environment? Formaldehyde concentrations exceeding 0.06 mg/m3 can be smelled. What kind of parents and polluted environment will allow newborns to stay in this environment for a long time, and the weight of newborns will continue to grow, and their physique will continue to increase?

So, for people, how high is the formaldehyde concentration, the bottom line of safety?

Nearly 40 special literature on the impact of formaldehyde on human health at home and abroad were consulted, and in the literature, there were more data on the impact of formaldehyde on human health, among which, the data with the lowest concentration brought about by the human health impact, from Yang Yuhua, Institute of Hygienic and Environmental Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, etc., published in the 2005 paper of the PLA Journal of Preventive Medicine. The paper shows that formaldehyde irritation to the eyes, the minimum concentration is about 0.01 mg / cubic, while indoor formaldehyde concentration is about 0.07 mg / cubic, that is, 70 micrograms / cubic, can cause three-year-old children, mild respiratory inflammation.

In China's indoor air quality standards, the indoor safe concentration of formaldehyde is set at no higher than 0.08 mg/cube. This criterion is exactly close to the respiratory minimum effect value of 0.07 mg. In addition, looking at the world, China's formaldehyde indoor standards are higher than Canada, Canada is 0.12 mg / cubic, higher than the United States, the United States is 0.4 mg / cubic. Therefore, as long as the indoor formaldehyde concentration is low to the limit of the national standard, it can be considered to be relatively safe.