Formaldehyde in Many Home Products can Lead to Human Health Risks

In August of this year, it was announced that Johnson & Johnson would remove several potentially harmful chemicals from its personal care products by 2015.  The list of chemicals includes formaldehyde.
 
The decision was applauded by many health advocates and indoor air quality professionals who are regularly called upon to test for chemicals, such as formaldehyde, in people’s homes and other buildings. 
 
Formaldehyde is a widely used chemical found in many manufacturing processes, common building materials, household furnishings, and a number of consumer products.  This chemical can cause potential short and long term health effects.  According to the National Cancer Institute, “When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure.”
 
Just last year, the United States’ National Toxicology Program, an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services, named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens. 
 
“Most people don’t recognize that they may be exposing themselves and their families to formaldehyde on a daily basis,” reported Bruce Jacobs, CIH, President of IAQ Index, an indoor air quality and formaldehyde test kit manufacturer.  “So many building materials, household furnishing, consumer products, and even some types of clothes will off-gas this potentially harmful volatile organic compound.  Because of this, IAQ Index has developed an affordable home test kit that allows anyone to test for formaldehyde in their home, office or even school.”
 
IAQ Index supports an educational video about the dangers of exposure to formaldehyde that can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD4pTC8GVpE
 
To learn more about testing for formaldehyde or other indoor air quality (IAQ) contaminants, please visit IAQ Index at http://www.IAQIndex.com, email info@IAQIndex.com or call (888) 259-3883.
 
About IAQ Index
IAQ Index was developed by a Certified Industrial Hygienist with decades of experience dealing with indoor air quality issues.  IAQ Index was developed as a health-based, easy-to-understand, air quality index that is calculated from data generated for various parameters commonly measured during IAQ surveys.  The approach is similar to the EPA’s Air Quality Index that has been used historically to communicate the risks posed by common pollutants in the ambient air.

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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