What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a strong pungent odor. Easily soluble in water, alcohol and ether. Formaldehyde is a flammable gas at room temperature and usually appears as an aqueous solution.
Formaldehyde is an important organic raw material, mainly used in the plastic industry (such as phenolic resin, urea-formaldehyde plastic-electric jade), synthetic fibers (such as synthetic vinylon-polyvinyl formal), leather industry, medicine, dyes, etc. Formal material has bactericidal and antiseptic ability, and can be used to soak biological specimens. Its dilute solution (0.1-0.5%) can be used for soaking seeds in agriculture and sterilizing seeds. Catalytic oxidation is commonly used in industry to produce formaldehyde from methanol.
What products contain formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde can be found in most homes and buildings. Formaldehyde is also released into the air from many products you may use in your home. Because formaldehyde breaks down in air, you may breathe it in from such products as
• Carpet cleaner
• Cosmetics
• Fabric softeners
• Fingernail polish and hardeners
• Gas cookers and open fireplaces
• Glue
• Household cleaners
• Latex paint
Burning cigarettes and other tobacco products also release formaldehyde.
Products give off different amounts of formaldehyde. For example,
• fingernail polish gives off more formaldehyde than do plywood and new carpet,
• some paper products—such as grocery bags and paper towels—give off only
small amounts of formaldehyde.
Our bodies even produce some formaldehyde, although only in small amounts.
How does formaldehyde affect health?
We do not get sick if we breathe or touch formaldehyde. But if you have the following symptoms after breathing in or being exposed to formaldehyde, you should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for a health check:
• Pain, itching or burning in the eyes, nose or throat;
• Skin rash;
• Respiratory symptoms such as chest tightness, cough and shortness of breath.
People who are more likely to get sick from being around formaldehyde are children, the elderly, and people with asthma.
Formaldehyde may affect children more than adults. If you think your child may have been exposed to formaldehyde, and have the above symptoms, contact your doctor right away.
CTT provides services for inspection formaldehyde content in products
Products imported into the European market, the US or other countries around the world are subject to very strict requirements for formaldehyde content. Therefore, our CTT provides testing services to verify the quality of your products to ensure that your products are exported smoothly to major global markets.
