Many people who purchase new furniture or are planning to renovate their apartment are faced with the concept of formaldehyde. It turns out that this colorless gas can be released into the air for years and negatively affect health. What is the source of formaldehyde and why it is dangerous, we will consider in this article.
Brief description of the substance
Formaldehyde (methanal, formic aldehyde) is a colorless, toxic, highly soluble gas in water, polar solvents and alcohols with a pungent odor, hazard class 1. An aqueous, urea-stabilized solution of formaldehyde is used in the furniture and woodworking industries in the production of chipboard and other “plywood” materials. It is used in the manufacture of thermoset polymers and in industrial organic synthesis. Widely used in light industry, medicine, cosmetology, agriculture. It is characterized by good antiseptic, bactericidal, tanning and preservative properties.
- Maximum single maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of formaldehyde (Russia) - 0.05 mg/m³;
- The average daily MPC (Russia) is 0.01 mg/m³;
- MPC of substance in the air of residential premises (European countries): 120 μg/m 3 ;
- Odor threshold: 0.07-0.2 mg/m3;
- Threshold of the reflex response of the animal body: 0.04-0.098 mg/m 3 ;
- Threshold of irritant effects on the mucous membrane of the human visual organs: 0.012 mg/m 3 .
Danger to humans
Formaldehyde is a major air pollutant. It accumulates in the human body and is very difficult to remove from it. The most dangerous is the long-term effect of a substance on the body, during which it has allergenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. Clinical manifestations can develop over different periods of time, which largely depends on the state of the immune system. For some it is months, for others it is years. Children, the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases are prone to strong negative influences.
- It has severe toxicity and adversely affects the reproductive organs and genetic material. The danger as a mutagen lies in the fact that the substance not only leads to the development of somatic mutations, but also the body itself accumulates these mutations and they are subsequently transmitted to offspring.
- Poisons the lungs, irritates the respiratory tract and makes breathing difficult. Can cause asthma and provoke asthmatic attacks.
- Irritates the eyes and skin, provokes the development of neurotic eczema.
- Causes the development of gastrointestinal ulcers, damage to the kidneys and liver, and leads to causeless loss of body weight.
- It has a pronounced negative effect on the central nervous system: it causes fatigue, headaches, depression, depression. Impairs performance and general well-being.
Included in the list of carcinogenic substances. The international agency that assesses the risk of developing cancer has proven the connection between formaldehyde, which is used in the production of plastics, resins, paint and varnish materials, textiles, and also as a preservative and disinfectant, with an increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancer.
Sources of formaldehyde emissions in everyday life
We ourselves or the hands of careless builders and workers can turn our houses and apartments, which are a place for rest of soul and body, into a real chemical laboratory! Besides dangerous formaldehyde, the air in residential premises may contain phenol, toluene, xylene, benzene, styrene, etc. If basic ventilation is neglected, the concentration of harmful chemicals can double in just one day.
According to WHO statistics, the air in urban residential premises is 4-6 times dirtier than outside, and the main contribution to the chemical “bouquet” comes from finishing and construction materials and furniture.
Formaldehyde vapor is a product of combustion of organic substances that are present in:
- car exhaust gases (therefore, excesses are more often recorded in apartments of houses located along major highways);
- smog;
- tobacco smoke, including from electronic cigarettes;
- fumes from fireplaces, gas stoves.
Chemical vapors evaporate into the air from building materials:
- Chipboard, fibreboard, FRP, from which the prevailing quantity is produced modern furniture. Plates impregnated with urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins (which make up 6–18% of the total mass of the material) are the main building material- a source of formaldehyde in the house. For those who do not know the smell of formaldehyde, there is a simple way to “get to know it” - go to the market where they sell chipboard and smell the slabs;
- MDF, OSB, plywood with phenol-formaldehyde resins in the composition, used for interior decoration and insulation of residential buildings;
- adhesives, mastics, paints, varnishes, sealants (especially cheap ones);
- market, non-certified finishing materials: wallpaper, laminate, linoleum, baseboards, etc., which are the most phony finishing materials.
Also the source of the substance can be:
- all cracks that are sealed with sealant. The predominant share of sealants is made on the basis of resins, which emit harmful gases;
- soundproofing materials and insulation made of polystyrene foam, cheap components bonded with resins;
- beds, mattresses, sofas and other upholstered furniture, carpets, heavy curtains. Formaldehyde is released from furniture if it was used during its production (at any stage technological production). But formaldehyde in fabrics (carpets and curtains) can accumulate from other sources and subsequently be released into the air.
One of the first signs of the presence of a high content of a substance in the air is the appearance of a sharp characteristic odor, which can be described as hospital or pharmacy. This smell is noticeable even at a concentration 25 times less than the permissible one. Some people think that this is the smell of new furniture, but in fact, it is the smell of formaldehyde.
Symptoms of acute and chronic formaldehyde poisoning
Serious poisoning from internal ingestion of formaldehyde solution and contact of the substance with the skin, as well as poisoning by its vapors, are possible in the conditions of chemical and other production in which this chemical is part technological process. At home, formalhyde enters the body through inhalation through inhalation.
Formaldehyde poisoning can develop in three ways:
- if ingested;
- by inhalation;
- upon contact with skin.
Accordingly, the symptoms will also vary, prevailing on the part of a certain system: when swallowed, the gastrointestinal tract is more affected, and when inhaled, the respiratory organs are more affected.
Short-term ingestion of a large amount of a substance into the body leads to the development of acute poisoning, and long-term ingestion in small doses, even slightly exceeding the MPC, causes chronic poisoning. Signs of poisoning vary among different people manifest themselves in their own way.
| Symptoms of acute formaldehyde poisoning | Symptoms of chronic poisoning | |
| Nervous system | Strong headache, complete loss of strength, loss of coordination, hand tremors, convulsions, impaired consciousness, coma | Sleep disturbance, mental agitation, persistent headaches, chronic fatigue, drowsiness, lethargy, lethargy, coordination disorder (see) |
| Reproductive system | - | Menstrual irregularities in women |
| Vegetative manifestations | Severe chills | Trembling, chills at normal T, impaired sweating and thermoregulation |
| Respiratory organs | Runny nose, cough, shortness of breath, choking, swelling of the pharynx and lungs | Persistent dry cough, irritation of nose, throat and asthma attacks |
| Leather | Pallor of the skin, blisters on the skin (if the substance comes into contact with the skin) | Allergies, skin irritation, including eczema, dermatitis, nail damage |
| Organs of vision | Watery eyes, pain in the eyes, acute conjunctivitis, dilated pupils |
Eye irritation visual impairment |
| Digestive organs | Increased salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, severe pain along the esophagus (internal route of entry) | Loss of appetite, weight loss, dyspepsia |
| Cardiovascular system | Increased heart rate, sharp increase in blood pressure | Blood pressure surges |
Internal intake of 60-90 ml of an aqueous solution of formaldehyde (formalin) leads to death! A concentration of a substance in the air equal to 20 mg/m 3 leads to death within 30 minutes of exposure!
If timely first aid for acute poisoning is not provided, following states that pose a direct threat to life:
- Gastrointestinal bleeding. This is a consequence of the internal entry of a substance into the body (accidental or intentional use), which develops when the vascular walls of the submucosal layer of the stomach and duodenum are corroded. The patient notes increasing weakness, dark vomiting or vomiting with blood, and black loose stools.
- Acute liver failure, toxic hepatitis. It also develops when the substance gets ingested. The skin and mucous membranes noticeably turn yellow, there is severe pain in the right hypochondrium, and consciousness is impaired.
- Acute kidney damage: edema, complete absence urine.
- Acute circulatory failure.
- Swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx and lungs develops with vapor poisoning and leads to suffocation.
First aid for victims
The most important thing is to call an ambulance immediately! A person’s life often depends on the time of her arrival.
- The victim needs to ensure an influx fresh air and peace. If inhalation poisoning occurs, the person should be removed/removed from this room.
- Give the victim clean, cool water to drink (if he is conscious and there are no signs of the substance getting inside). You cannot try to rinse the stomach on your own or induce vomiting: doctors will do this using special solutions.
- Rinse the affected area of skin with running cool water for 15-20 minutes, while the formaldehyde solution still gets on the skin.
- Ensure airway patency if the person is unconscious: place him on his back and turn his head to the side.
Inpatient treatment of acute formaldehyde poisoning
As a rule, even at the scene of the incident, the first aid team carries out measures to prevent further complications and save a person’s life:
- Probe lavage of the gastric cavity with water or saline solution.
- Administration of hemostatic drugs when signs of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract occur.
- Administration of painkillers severe pain(often with a burn of the esophagus), drugs that stabilize vital signs: heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing.
- Placement of a dropper with solutions to reduce intoxication.
- Intubation and artificial respiration with swelling of the larynx.
The victim is hospitalized in the intensive care unit or toxicology department, where he is diagnosed and treated as follows:
- administration of ammonium carbonate or 3% chloride - formaldehyde antidotes;
- hemodialysis (for kidney damage);
- surgical intervention in the presence of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract;
- other infusion therapy in the required volume.
The prognosis largely depends on the timeliness of provision medical care. In any case, this is a life-threatening condition that requires serious hospital treatment. After poisoning, sensitivity to formaldehyde increases significantly, so a subsequent similar situation can become fatal!
How to test the air in residential premises for formaldehyde content
It’s easy to suspect trouble: if you feel bad at home, don’t get enough sleep, there is constant irritability and discomfort, it’s time to measure the air in your apartment. People react differently to the chemical, with some experiencing increased sensitivity. You should be especially vigilant if you have recently moved to new home or made renovations in the apartment.
The concentration of formaldehyde that is created indoors depends not only on the sources of its release, but also on the temperature and humidity of the air, the type and speed of ventilation (ventilation frequency), the type of heating (central or stove) and the presence of other sources using combustion processes (smokers , gas stoves).
- New materials are active releases of chemicals into the air.
- Formaldehyde emissions decrease as materials age and reach background values after 3-5 years. However, if we are talking about upholstered furniture, chemical release can occur even after 10 years of operation.
- High temperatures and high humidity air, stove heating, gas stoves determine the increased release of the substance into the air.
How and when to start analyzing the indoor air environment?
Most often, people contact the laboratory immediately after purchasing furniture or carrying out repairs. But it’s better to wait 1-3 months. Even after the highest quality repairs, it is recommended to thoroughly ventilate the apartment for several weeks. The same applies to the option when new furniture is purchased.
- You should not contact organizations that operate a laboratory (even an accredited one) and that themselves carry out apartment repairs. There is a high probability that the results will be falsified in order to impose their repairs and “safe” materials on you.
- Measurements must be carried out by representatives of the sanitary and epidemiological service or specialists from an independent accredited laboratory.
- Household devices for home air monitoring provide only a rough estimate!
How are measurements taken? Most often, laboratory specialists conduct air tests in the apartment and outside at the same time, and at once for several of the most common pollutants - formaldehyde, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon, phenol and hydrogen sulfide. On average, the procedure takes 30-40 minutes. Using devices, air is pumped through special liquid reagents, which are placed in sorption tubes (one for each chemical substance). Analysis of selected samples is carried out different methods already in the laboratory, one of the modern ones is gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection
How to test furniture for formaldehyde?
Chemical analysis of a material sample is carried out in laboratories and requires the provision of this same sample. those. You will have to say goodbye to some of the furniture. It would be good if the furniture was made to order and a sample was preserved. In other cases, you will have to sacrifice something.
We are in a hurry to disappoint those who believe that they can save on materials and then check them for “purity” by submitting them for examination - examining materials for the presence of formaldehyde is not a cheap pleasure, so in the end the purchase may turn out to be golden, and if it turns out that the material is of poor quality will be doubly offensive.
How to protect yourself from harmful chemicals
Unfortunately, no preventive measure can guarantee 100% cleanliness of indoor air. However, following simple safety rules will minimize the likelihood that you are breathing a mixture of chemicals rather than clean air:
- Choose building and finishing materials carefully and buy them in stores, not in markets.
- If possible, give preference to products made from solid wood or metal. When purchasing pressed wood materials, you should choose laminated products or those with veneered ends.
- Ask sellers for documents that are mandatory requirement technical regulations on the safety of building materials:
- certificate or declaration of conformity with the registered manufacturer and place of production;
- quality certificate;
- technical documents on safe use.
- Be sure to keep copies of certificates and receipts. If toxic substances, the source of which were certain materials, are subsequently identified in the indoor air, a claim can be filed with the store within 2 years.
- Do not use for internal repair work materials that are intended for outdoor use! Yes, they are often cheaper, but they are subject to other, less stringent safety requirements.
- Don’t buy into the “environmentally friendly” or “environmentally safe” labels. They are not regulated in any way by law and are not at all a guarantee that the material is safe. The main confirmation of safety is the relevant documents!
- Also, you should not buy into quick-drying, ultra-flexible, extra-strong and other materials with improved properties. Most often, all these additional effects are achieved through a variety of chemical additives.
- Do not move into an apartment/house immediately after renovation and “packing” it new furniture: at least for the first 3 months, your cozy home is nothing more than a small environmental disaster. Even if individually each chemical substance does not exceed the norm, their combined effect, and sometimes mutual reinforcement negative influence per person, create dangerous air pollution.
- Maintain a healthy microclimate in your living quarters: ventilate rooms more often and do not overuse heaters.
- Wash fabrics before use.
- Get yourself indoor plants that are capable of absorbing “chemistry”: dracaena, fern, bush chrysanthemum, ivy.
- When purchasing air purifiers, give preference to photocatalytic devices. They have been scientifically proven to remove formaldehyde from the air.
- As for the protective polyurethane coating on pressed wood products, which can trap the substance inside the product and prevent its evaporation into the air, this is relative protection. For effective protection such coatings must completely cover the surface of the product, including corners, edges, and edges, which is not always feasible.
In addition to chemical air pollution, negative influence Radiation can affect people’s health and make them feel worse, electromagnetic radiation, bacterial pollutants, allergens, dust mites and a number of other environmental factors, therefore it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of residential premises, which, unfortunately, will not be cheap.
An integral attribute and in some ways, even a symbol of comfortable housing are various types of furniture. It could be a grandmother’s wardrobe inherited and an ultra-modern bed, modest bookshelf and luxurious kitchen furniture. All this is part of the atmosphere in a house or apartment that is usually called home.
However, not everyone knows that furniture can often represent a certain health hazard. First of all, the materials from which it is made are to blame. home furniture and manufacturers who allow (often directly violating the law) the presence of unsafe and even clearly toxic components in furniture. Therefore, when buying furniture, you should be careful not to bring the source of various pathologies into the house, and also carefully consider some components of the interior - are they the cause of frequent headaches and colds, allergies and loss of energy?
To begin with, you should find out which materials and components of the home can pose a threat. First of all, it is worth noting such a common material as chipboard (chipboard) - as research shows, more than 70% of the entire range of furniture from the lower and middle price segment is made using this material.
Meanwhile, resins, which are the main adhesive substance used in chipboard production, at the slightest heating and even without it, formaldehyde is released - a poisonous gas, an aqueous solution of which is called formalin. Formaldehyde irritates the respiratory tract, promotes the development of malignant tumors, and is extremely toxic to the central nervous system and is especially dangerous for children. For this reason, chipboard-based furniture should not be used in children's rooms.
Of course, manufacturers furniture and the state is trying to reduce the harmful consequences of using such a dangerous, but at the same time widespread and cheap material - sanitary standards prescribe a formaldehyde emission level of no more than 10 mg per square meter Chipboard, in addition, in furniture it is covered with special protective films. However, if they are damaged at the slightest and the manufacturers fail to sanitary standards Symptoms of chronic poisoning occur - headaches, malaise, decreased immunity.
The second common furniture material, the safety of which is questionable, are various types plastics Acrylic, polyvinyl chloride and other plastics are firmly entrenched in our lives, displacing other materials. This also applies to materials used in furniture production. However, the controversy surrounding the safety of plastics either subsides or resumes. In particular, there is evidence that polyvinyl chloride materials are a source of toxic gases such as hydrogen chloride, benzene, and vinyl chloride.
All these gases are by-products during the synthesis of these plastics and should normally be removed during purification. However, it often happens that several cleaning cycles are not enough, and this is how these substances are transferred from the manufacturing plant into people’s homes. Indirect signs of hazardous plastics are low price on products (including furniture), a typical unpleasant “plastic smell” that can be felt from a distance. Purchasing furniture with such characteristics can be hazardous to health.
Keep up with the danger for health some materials are soft. For example, in recent years cases have become more frequent when, instead of pure foam rubber, material with a small amount of solvent or other substances from the chemical industry was put into the upholstery. This often happens in cases where a sofa or chair is varnished and painted not before installing the upholstery, but after. And foam rubber, due to its structure, partially absorbs these substances.
When sleeping on this sofa Nausea and severe headache occur in the morning, and a strong odor is felt from the piece of furniture itself. Therefore, you need to be careful when purchasing so as not to acquire sleeping place with such a "surprise". The outer upholstery of a sofa or bed is no less dangerous, and, oddly enough, upholstery made of natural materials. For example, wool upholstery may contain pathogens, including anthrax bacteria. And in the process of using furniture with such upholstery, difficulties are possible - it attracts large number dust and dust mites, which can cause severe allergies. It is safest to use leather or velvet upholstery on upholstered furniture, which can be easily vacuumed.
To protect yourself and your family, you should carefully look at updating the furniture in the house, buy interior items only in large stores with all the relevant certificates. You should not chase sales and high discounts, because the harm to health that materials from such furniture can cause cannot be measured by any money.
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1. Why is the air in our apartments sometimes as polluted as the air on a busy highway?
2. Which furniture is better for health and which is worse?!
3. What is important to consider when buying furniture.
– WHAT DOES IT SMELL?!
The strong smell from new furniture usually pleasantly reminds you of the purchase for more than one week, or even a month. But we don’t always think about what we actually breathe while sitting at a recently purchased table or near a new headset.
The results of research on this topic are not very encouraging. In many cases, the “evaporation” emanating from new furniture made of chipboard, fiberboard, etc. is a real poison. The composition of the air in a newly furnished room can be so polluted that breathing it is like breathing car fumes on a busy highway during rush hour!
Most chipboard, fibreboard, MDF, polymers, paints and varnishes, which are used in the manufacture of mass-produced furniture, generously endow us with all sorts of poisons: phenol, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and a dozen other toxic substances. It should be noted that fiberboard is often less toxic than chipboard, but still they can “succumb” above the norm, above the maximum permissible concentration.
But in addition to furniture, our premises already have enough toxic materials such as linoleum, plastic panels or ceilings, etc.
As a result, with our own money, along with a new interior, we acquire new problems: with sleep, immunity, headaches, in the worst cases - acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, allergies, dermatitis...
By the way, children suffer from this more than adults. For example, a connection has been established between formaldehyde released from furniture and childhood myopia, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
How to buy furniture without harming yourself
1. Prefer natural wood
The most environmentally friendly is, of course, furniture made of natural wood. Especially when it comes to a bed or bedroom furniture. Although there may be reservations here too: it is important whether the tree grew somewhere in the Chernobyl area, it is important what was used to glue it, what varnish was used, etc. But these, in general, are trifles compared to a wardrobe or bed made of cheap particle boards, in which the concentration of phenol-formaldehydes released is often higher than the maximum permissible.
In general, natural wood is a topic for a separate discussion. After all, nowadays furniture is not made and bought to last for centuries, as before. On the contrary, for many it has already become the norm to constantly update the interior, just like updating clothes or hairstyle. And in the case of furniture made of natural wood this “upgrade race” will very quickly lead to the final cutting down of those forests, which still remain on the planet.
Therefore, we are not at all going to campaign only for furniture made of natural wood.
2. And if, after all, you preferred a wardrobe or bed made of chipboard, fiberboard, MDF?
If you still decide to buy furniture made of chipboard, fiberboard or MDF, then ask the seller for a quality certificate (or certificate of conformity) and a hygienic conclusion. Make sure that the formaldehyde emission indicators comply with GOST or the European standard E1 (E2 is worse, because it allows for stronger emission toxic substances).
Manufacturers who think about the health of their customers are sure to line all surfaces and edges Chipboard protective film or veneer, that's all drilled holes sealed. This at least partially protects against harmful fumes. When choosing furniture made from chipboard, fiberboard or MDF, pay attention to this.
3 more things to consider when updating your interior
In any case, it is advisable not to update all the furniture at once, but to do it slowly, in parts. This is quite reasonable: it will hit your pocket less, and you won’t once again test your health “to the limit.”
If you nevertheless decide to replace all the furniture in a room or apartment at once, then it makes sense at first ventilate more often this room and be in it less.
And if you have old, good-quality wooden furniture, and it is not damaged by fungus and other pests, then maybe best option– is it not to buy anything at all, but just leave the old one? Moreover, it can be restored. One way or another, everyone chooses for themselves what is more important to them - updating the interior at any cost or maintaining health.
By the way, since you are concerned about the topic of toxic furniture, you should pay attention to others. There may be no less danger to health, if not more.
Eco-furniture Furniture made from environmentally friendly natural materials (wood, stone, glass, leather, bamboo) that do not contain toxic substances harmful to human health.
Harm
Harmful substances in furniture
Almost everything furniture sets made of wood, including solid wood, can emit significant amounts of free formaldehyde in the living areas of houses. Typical materials, used in the manufacture of furniture include chipboard, MDF (fibreboard) and plywood, the production of which uses formaldehyde resins. For wooden products these resins are used as internal adhesives.
Phenol is extremely toxic. It is very quickly absorbed by the skin, through the upper respiratory tract it easily penetrates the human body and its gastrointestinal tract. Phenol is concentrated in the liver and kidneys. He destroys immune system, renders irritant effect on the mucous membrane of the mouth, nasopharynx, upper respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract. Such exposure leads to a runny nose, dizziness, headaches, insomnia, vomiting, and shortness of breath.
Inhalation of phenol causes severe irritation of the mucous membranes, its contact with the skin leads to burns, and chronic poisoning leads to damage to the liver and kidneys, subsequently to pathogenic changes in the blood.
Most of the wooden furniture sold is made from wood materials using urea formaldehyde resins. They are especially noticeable where fiberboard and chipboard are used - which are the main materials on which plywood or veneer is applied (or, in the case of inexpensive furniture, laminate based on paper or plastic).
Almost all wood composite materials are created by hot pressing of prepared waste. The binder in this process, as a rule, is a phenol-formaldehyde alcohol-soluble resin, which tends to subsequently release free formaldehyde, which doctors call a “chronic toxin.” This volatile substance can adversely affect human health.
Formaldehyde vapors irritate the mucous membrane of the eyes and upper respiratory tract (nose and throat), have a harmful effect on the skin and all kinds of allergic reactions. Prolonged inhalation of its fumes can lead to:
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Atypical fatigue
- Depression
- Asthma
Due to formaldehyde poisoning, the following symptoms appear:
- Mucous, watery nasal discharge
- Irritation and infection of the sinuses
- Nosebleed
- Cough and salivation
- Sore throat
- A rash appears
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Chest pain and abdominal pain
- Menstrual irregularities
- Unnatural Thirst
In most apartments, the level of formaldehyde exceeds the norm - instead of the required 0.04-0.06 ppm, its indicators are 0.07-0.09 ppm. Only bathroom or kitchen furniture can raise the level of formaldehyde in a living space to 0.10 ppm or higher, especially if it is new.
Benefit
Eco-friendly furniture
In the manufacture of environmentally friendly furniture, only natural wood(pine, beech, ash, birch, oak), and environmentally friendly PVA-based glue.
The production of eco-furniture from solid natural wood is accompanied by high-quality wood processing.
Upholstery options for natural, non-electric textile fabrics - organic cotton, bamboo, linen, silk, soy. No pesticides or other chemicals are used in their cultivation. The production of environmentally friendly materials of this textile must have OEKO-TEX, Organic Exchange or GOTS certificates, confirming that the material does not use harmful chemicals and azo dyes.
Leather upholstered furniture painted with eco-paints lasts the longest.
Cork is quite in demand today, lightweight and pleasant to the touch, environmentally friendly safe material. Used for floors and walls. Excellent noise absorption, which is especially important for a children's room. Unlike wood, cork does not rot and does not burn, without releasing substances hazardous to health into the air.
You can lay a mat (matting) on the floor. It is woven from environmentally friendly natural materials- from cane, flax, coconut fiber. The mat not only protects the floor, but also improves the microclimate in the room.
From natural stone they make a countertop in the kitchen, which is very practical, but quite expensive. The most common materials are marble and granite. Less common are onyx, travertine, slate, and limestone.
Also environmentally friendly are ordinary ceramic or today’s fashionable glass tiles or mosaics.
Environmentally friendly materials for furniture
To protect yourself from the harmful effects of chemicals that harmful furniture evaporates, carefully inspect all your furniture - all scratches and cracks noticed on it should be covered with PVA glue, or furniture varnish, polish or paint. Ventilate rooms where chipboard furniture is located more often. Disperse chipboard furniture so that there is no accumulation of it in one place - this can reduce the concentration of toxic substances in the atmosphere of the home.
In order to save money, unscrupulous manufacturers leave chipboard exposed in areas that are invisible to the eye (the bottom of countertops, internal partitions near cabinets, the insides of bedside tables, etc.). Manufacturers who care about the health of their customers necessarily cover all surfaces and chipboard edges protective film or veneer, and all drilled holes are sealed, which at least partially protects against harmful fumes.
When choosing furniture made from chipboard, fiberboard or MDF, make sure that the veneer evenly and airtightly covers the furniture around the entire perimeter. But even the highest quality chipboard tables and cabinets may develop cracks and chips on the surface over time. Chipboard releases poisons for a very long time - at least 10-15 years. Furniture made from MDF is considered safer. MDF is about 13-15% more expensive than chipboard.
Formaldehyde is found not only in wood, but also in plastic furniture. Furniture made from plywood and solid wood, or entirely solid wood, can also be a significant source of formaldehyde. In this case, they are the oxidizing finishing (paint and varnish, etc.) materials used in its manufacture, containing urea-formaldehyde, which are actively released into the environment, especially during the first six months after use. Once most of the volatile formaldehyde has been released (usually a reduction of 50 percent or more), indoor levels may be a fraction of what they were when the products were new.
Natural wood furniture solid wood 10-25% more expensive than MDF (including due to the labor intensity of production and processing complexity). In most types of wood, the natural formaldehyde content is only slightly lower than in chipboard, but in some varieties it reaches 12 mg100g. In the production of solid wood furniture parts, glue, varnishes and stains are used; all these materials contain formaldehyde, phenol and other chemicals.
Thus, the statement that furniture made from natural wood is absolutely environmentally friendly is not entirely true. Even solid wood furniture is a source of formaldehyde (it completely evaporates only after 7-12 years). Although a significant reduction is expected, the problem does not disappear, as one might think. Significant continuous release of formaldehyde may occur as the polymer resin undergoes hydrolytic degradation. For this reason, the release of free formaldehyde from products containing formaldehyde resins may occur for an indefinite period.
Many consumers believe that wooden furniture is completely environmentally friendly and safe, but if the processing technology of natural wood (alder, pine, etc.) is not followed, the quality of such boards leaves much to be desired, despite natural origin. In that case alternative option Eco-furniture can be made by making furniture boards yourself from wood (pine, beech, alder, birch, oak, etc.).
It can be concluded that in terms of environmental safety furniture made from MDF or chipboard is not significantly different from furniture made from solid wood, and the price is much cheaper. The main difference is to which “emission class” of free formaldehyde they belong. Chipboard and MDF have the same mechanical strength with natural wood. MDF may even surpass it in some mechanical properties, and is better able to retain its shape under conditions of variable humidity than solid wood products.
The ideal emission class for eco-furniture in terms of formaldehyde emissions is considered zero (E0), but such furniture is difficult to find. One (E1) is an acceptable option, two (E2) is average, and three (E3) is hazardous to health.
When buying upholstered furniture, avoid products made from foam rubber - over time it decomposes, which leads to the release of harmful substances.
When purchasing eco-furniture, give preference to upholstery made from natural, non-electric fabrics.
Today, environmentally clean furniture It’s quite difficult to find, but more and more people are making eco-renovations and are interested in materials that are safe for health, although prices for eco-friendly furniture are an order of magnitude higher than for mass-produced low-quality furniture that emits toxic toxic substances.