Is removing formaldehyde a waste of money? The answer may be different from what you think...

As the temperature continues to rise, not only the temperature increases, but also everyone's enthusiasm for removing formaldehyde.

However, many people only know that formaldehyde can cause harm, but they don’t know much about formaldehyde. Some people have a wrong understanding of formaldehyde, and as a result, they over-remove formaldehyde or use the wrong method to remove formaldehyde.

In order to help everyone understand formaldehyde correctly and to help everyone find the correct way to remove formaldehyde, we decided to have a good chat with everyone about formaldehyde, hoping to answer everyone’s questions.

01

We live in a world where formaldehyde coexists

Formaldehyde, also known as formic aldehyde, is a colorless but highly irritating gas. So when people come into contact with formaldehyde, their eyes and noses will feel extremely uncomfortable.

If you inhale high concentrations of formaldehyde, you will experience symptoms such as sneezing, persistent coughing, and a burning sensation in the throat. In severe cases, formaldehyde can also induce diseases such as bronchial asthma, pneumonia, and pulmonary edema.

Ingesting large amounts of formaldehyde at one time can cause symptoms of digestive tract and systemic poisoning, including corrosive burns to the mouth, throat and digestive tract, severe abdominal pain, convulsions and even death .

Image source: Sina News

In 2004, the World Health Organization issued Notice No. 153, which clearly stated that formaldehyde is carcinogenic. On October 27, 2017, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified formaldehyde as a Class 1 carcinogen.

Image source: Beijing News

But in fact, formaldehyde has always existed in human life. Various materials used in decoration, such as artificial boards, paints, and chemical fiber fabrics, are the main sources of indoor formaldehyde. In addition, exhaust gas from cars and even fumes from cooking can also produce formaldehyde.

02

"Formaldehyde anxiety" leads to misunderstanding of formaldehyde removal

The indoor air quality standard (GB/T 18883-2022) implemented on July 11, 2022 has established new standards for formaldehyde content, stipulating that the 1h average should not exceed 0.080mg/m3.

In other words, as long as the air quality in the living space is up to standard, the impact of formaldehyde on us is not as great as we imagined .

It's just that the unknown amplifies the fear. Because people don't know much about formaldehyde, coupled with news such as "living in a newly renovated room that has not been tested for formaldehyde, causing oneself to suffer from acute leukemia" amplifies everyone's anxiety about formaldehyde.

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That’s why some people say that formaldehyde anxiety is the fuse that triggers negative emotions.

In order to relieve formaldehyde anxiety, some friends have begun to go to extremes. For example, if they smell a pungent odor in a newly renovated room, they think the formaldehyde exceeds the standard and start buying a large number of formaldehyde removal products.

In fact, only when formaldehyde gathers to a certain concentration or dissolves in water in large quantities will it emit a strong irritating odor . In this case, formaldehyde will cause a certain degree of harm to the human body, such as difficulty opening the eyes, sore throat, etc.

Therefore, whether the formaldehyde content exceeds the standard cannot be determined by whether there is an odor. Professional testing is required to draw a conclusion.

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At present, the main detection methods for formaldehyde in homes, textiles, and food at home and abroad are: spectrophotometry, electrochemical detection, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and sensor method. These methods all require the use of professional and expensive instruments. Other detection methods have large errors, even as high as 90%.

Some friends also place their hopes on succulents and activated carbon to absorb formaldehyde . But the actual situation is not as optimistic as everyone imagines . The absorption capacity of succulents and activated carbon is limited. If you really want to achieve a satisfactory effect, you may need to fill the room completely.

03

Effective tips for removing formaldehyde

If you want to remove formaldehyde in your daily life, the most effective way is to choose products that have been tested by quality organizations . Qualified products can save us the trouble of removing formaldehyde by ourselves. At the same time, it is also recommended that you choose low-formaldehyde products when using products.

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In addition, indoor ventilation is also effective in removing formaldehyde. But you should pay attention to the fact that ventilation time should be long and high temperature and high humidity should be maintained . Because the relative density of formaldehyde gas is 1.067, which is greater than that of air, formaldehyde will sink under normal circumstances. However, formaldehyde is volatile, so a high temperature and high humidity environment is conducive to the effective dispersion of formaldehyde.

Now that summer is here, you can reduce the impact of formaldehyde by opening windows and keeping the air circulating.

Author: Linzi Popular Science Creator

Reviewer: Dong Wenjun, Professor of School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing