Today, furniture made from chipboard (chipboard) is still popular. It's pretty cheap material, which, however, can significantly harm human health. Manufacturers of such furniture assure that damage to chipboard It has not been proven that these are all just words. They claim that such a myth is being spread by their competitors who produce wood furniture and are losing customers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized particle board as a carcinogenic material back in 1985. Many European furniture companies have therefore abandoned the use of chipboard in their production. In 1996, Moscow issued an order to limit the use of chipboard in the construction of kindergartens.
What is the danger of chipboard for our health?
Particle boards are pressed sawdust glued together with resin. And it contains a toxic compound – formaldehyde. One of his main chemical properties– volatility. Therefore, furniture made from chipboard is simply a storehouse of dangerous gas that can be released for more than 10 years. A single exposure to formaldehyde on the human body is unlikely to lead to serious consequences, but the furniture will not remain in your home for a week or a month. At least for several years. Science warns: formaldehyde negatively affects genetic material, reproductive system, respiratory tract, eyes and skin, as well as to the central nervous system.
If we haven't convinced you yet, let's move on to mathematics. Experts believed that when measuring the level of formaldehyde in ordinary apartments, the result exceeds the norm by 1.5-25 times!.
By the way, wood-fiber boards (DFB) also contain formaldehyde.
At using chipboard and fiberboard in children's rooms, you must take care of the laminating coating, which blocks the release of formaldehyde into the air.
There are several types of protective coating:
- Melamine(laminated chipboard)
This paper covering, on which varnish is also applied. - Laminate(laminated chipboard).
It's plastic. Made to resemble wood and other natural materials.
The protective properties of the coating will disappear if it is damaged. Therefore, the buyer must carefully consider the product being purchased. When buying furniture made from chipboard, take a closer look at the edges and corners (it is at these points that the coating plates are connected).
But if you have already purchased furniture made from chipboard and are very worried, we will only reassure you by giving you several of its advantages. One of them is water resistance. Therefore, chipboards are used in the production of kitchens. Chipboard can be painted and treated in every way. They are difficult to attack by insects. However, let's return to our topic.
What to do with low-quality chipboard?
A distinct sign of formaldehyde is its characteristic odor. If the purchased furniture exudes pleasant aroma, things are bad. Firstly, the suffocating smell quickly begins to bother you. Secondly, by deliberately keeping such furniture in your home, you are slowly killing yourself. But, as a rule, after a week the “aroma” disappears. Sometimes this doesn't happen. Then you need to immediately return the furniture to the seller.
However, sellers are not always willing to accommodate dissatisfied customers. Therefore, let us remind you: save cash receipt and a purchase act for furniture. This can help you if you have problems returning a defective product.
Harmful substances are released from the chipboard when heated. Therefore, it is more expedient to replace such material with a more expensive one - finely dispersed fraction (MDF). No resin is used in its manufacture. The fraction is glued together using lignin (released when wood is heated. And this natural substance is completely harmless.
Finally, we note: no matter what they say chipboard manufacturers and fiberboard, and wooden products are much nicer and safer, albeit many times more expensive. But health is priceless. As for dangerous emissions, even without formaldehyde there are enough forced dangerous chemical compounds in our lives.
Production..……5
2. Effect on the human body…………………………………………………………….6
3. Hygienic standardization……………………………………………………………8
4. Control over the level of harmful and dangerous substances……………9
5. Protective equipment. …………………………………………………………….eleven
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………..15
List of sources used……………………………………………………16
Introduction
Woodworking in terms of production volumes and employment of workers in it is one of the most popular industries, but it is accompanied by a number of negative production factors, primarily dust. In Russia there are about half a million large and small woodworking enterprises and sites in other industries, employing more than 2 million people, who often work in conditions that do not meet hygienic criteria on air quality.
Today, the woodworking industry is developing rapidly. This is especially true for the production of furniture and products for house construction. But with the development of industry, the proportion of occupational diseases associated with harmful production factors also increases, so a sanitary and hygienic examination of working conditions is relevant.
Analytical and laboratory methods for monitoring harmful substances include sampling with subsequent delivery and analysis in laboratory conditions, which sometimes does not allow timely adoption of effective substances to ensure normal conditions labor. Laboratory analysis methods are not always fast enough, but they provide high accuracy in determining the chemicals present in the air.
Laboratory methods include photochemical, luminescent, electrochemical, chromatographic, spectrophotometric, polarographic and other methods.
Express methods for determining concentrations in air production premises are simple and efficient; in addition, they do not require sources of electrical and thermal energy; often in the practice of express analysis, an indicator method is used, which involves measuring the concentration of harmful substances with indicator tubes. The indicator method of air analysis is based on reactions occurring on solid media (papers, chalk, powders) impregnated with indicator reagents. Express methods also involve the use of special gas analyzers various designs. For example, a gas analyzer of the UG-2 type is a universal portable device designed for the rapid quantitative determination of various harmful substances (ammonia, acetylene, acetone, gasoline, benzene, nitrogen and carbon oxides, hydrogen sulfide, petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorine, etc.) in the air of industrial premises .
In conditions modern production in various industries, laboratory methods and instruments with indicator tubes do not always provide effective monitoring of the state of the air environment, since there are dangers of safe concentrations of gases and vapors in the air working area can be created in a short time and the process of emergence dangerous situation is random in nature. Therefore, automatic control of air pollution using automatic gas analyzers becomes necessary element control and management of technological processes. Automatic gas analyzers provide: speed of measurement and recording of the concentration of harmful substances in the air; sound and light alarms about excess of sanitary standards for the content of harmful substances in the air at the measurement site or in control rooms with the inclusion of ventilation if necessary; savings in working time when monitoring the state of the air environment; the possibility of their device in hard-to-reach and dangerous places, as well as in mobile laboratories. Industrial automatic gas analyzers, depending on the operating principle (analysis method), are divided into mechanical, sound, thermal, magnetic, electrochemical, ionization, optical, optical-acoustic, etc.
To assess the dust content of the air environment, the mass concentration of dust (mg/m3) is determined by the direct (gravimetric) method, as well as its dispersed composition, the number of dust particles per unit volume of air and their shape by the counting method using a microscope. To establish the dust content in the air, indirect methods are often used, based on the pattern of changes in the physical properties of dusty air depending on the dust concentration - changes in the absorption value of light, thermal and ionizing radiation, etc. Most often in this case, radioisotope and optical methods are used. For example, for express determination of the mass concentration of dust in the designated: photodust meters F-1, F-2; dust concentration meter IKP-ZD in an intrinsically safe design; radioisotope dust meters PRIZ-2, IZV-3.
5. Protective equipment for wood processing workers.
Protective equipment is designed to protect workers from harmful and dangerous production factors. They are divided into individual and collective.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes: workwear, special footwear, special hats, gloves, masks, gas masks, respirators, goggles, protective pastes and ointments, antiphons, electrical and fire-fighting agents.
To protect woodworking workers, the following PPE is used: cotton suit, cotton overalls, combined mittens, cotton mittens, rubberized mittens, antistatic low shoes, respirator, rubberized apron, goggles. The type of PPE issued and the standards for issuance are regulated by the Resolution of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation.4 Workers who come into contact with carcinogenic wood dust must have separate places for storing work and street clothes. Workers must be provided with the opportunity to use showers. In case of contact with carcinogenic dust work clothes should be cleaned before changing clothes. If an employee's clothing becomes dusty, when the clothing is removed, the dust flies into the air and the employee inhales it. It is necessary to first clean the clothes with a vacuum cleaner. Personal protective equipment should be stored in the designated place. clean place. During internal control of the working environment, it is imperative to check that workers do not store personal protective equipment in the workplace where they are contaminated with carcinogenic dust. It is important to keep the inside surface of the respiratory protection device clean.
As a collective means of protection, the woodworking shop has an aspiration system that removes waste in the form of dust, sawdust, shavings and directs them to dust collection equipment.
Modern aspiration systems are represented by the arrangement of the following elements: an aspiration shelter, a transport air line, a fan and dust collection devices.
An aspiration shelter is a means of localizing cutting waste and creating conditions for its directed movement into the transport route.
Cutting waste from aspiration shelters is removed in suspension through air ducts, which is ensured by high values air speed, which prevents particles from settling.
The dust collection unit ensures the removal of chips and dust particles from the aspirated air before its further movement into the atmosphere.
Fans of aspiration systems create the necessary vacuum in the aspiration shelters, ensuring the required air speeds along the entire path of movement of cutting waste to the dust collection unit.
A centralized pressure-suction aspiration system with an extensive network of air ducts was designed in the woodworking shop.
A branched network is easier to manufacture, since it is assembled only from straight and shaped parts of air ducts.
The air ducts for the aspiration system are made of welded black sheet steel with a round cross-section.
To clean and inspect air ducts in case of blockage, hatches are installed on them every 15 m, as well as after the outlets, the design of which must be airtight.
When operating machines, dust is generated (particle sizes up to 200 microns), sawdust, and shavings. The dust emission zone is localized by using various types of casings and shelters5. The casing has an outlet pipe for connection to suction system. Its orientation in space should, if possible, coincide with the trajectory of the resulting particles. This entire device is called a dust collector, or local suction. Air purification can be done in two ways: various types cyclones used in Soviet time, and dust collection systems (DUS)6. The comparison result is presented in table. 1.
Table 1
PUS (industrial filters) |
||
Advantages | Simplicity in design and operation; There are no moving parts; Maintenance consists of timely emptying of the hopper. | high degree of purification, allowing purified air to be returned to the work area. Ease of operation and maintenance; Occupies a small area; Mobility of fastening; Low cost; |
Flaws | Carrying away heat from the room with aspiration air; Such systems are centralized, that is, they have a significant length of air ducts and a powerful fan. Failure to comply with environmental air quality standards; High price; | Manual regeneration; Frequently change collection bags when significant amount generated waste, |
Conclusion
It is quite obvious that the fundamental cause of the environmental crisis and consumer attitudes towards the environment natural environment is low level environmental education modern society, which recognizes the development of the technical equipment of mankind as a priority, rather than its harmonious coexistence with nature.
All developed countries pass laws on labor protection and our state is no exception.
To summarize, we should not forget that a safe working environment is not formed on its own, but as a result of targeted work. This work must begin with the attitude of management and through it reach every employee. It would be reasonable to move from so-called firefighting to systematic management of occupational health and safety, where everything that happens in the work environment is consistently monitored. It should not be limited to just improving the physical work environment, but also ensure that all workers do the same. established rules and reacted in situations where someone made a mistake or did not do something.
List of sources used
1. GOST 12.0.003 – 74 Occupational safety systems. Dangerous and harmful production factors. Classification.[Text]//Moscow: IPK Publishing House of Standards. – 2015.
2. GOST 12.1.005-88 STB. General sanitary and hygienic requirements for the air in the working area. [Text]//Moscow: Standardinform. – 2008.
3. Sanitary and epidemiological rules and regulations SanPiN 2.2.3.1385-03 Hygienic requirements to production and construction enterprises. Moscow: 2003.
4. Kvashnin, I.M., Khokhlov, air at woodworking industry enterprises. [Text]/ and others//AVOC-PRESS.- 2005.-No. 8.-P.74-81
5. Simonova, I. N., Razzhivina, problems and prospects for the development of the woodworking industry. [Text]/ and others//Fundamental research. – 2013. - No. 10-2. - pp. 294-297
6. Regulation of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation dated December 8, 1997 No. 61 “On approval of standard industry standards for the free issuance of special clothing, special shoes and other personal protective equipment to employees” [Electronic resource]
Access mode: http://www. tkspecodegda. ru/tech/359/
1 GOST 12.0.003 – 74 SSBT “Hazardous and harmful production factors. Classification". Moscow – S.1
2 GOST 12.1.005 – 88 SSBT “General sanitary and hygienic requirements for the air of the working area.” Moscow – S.33
4 Resolution of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation dated December 8, 1997 No. 61 “On approval of standard industry standards for the free issuance of special clothing, special shoes and other personal protective equipment to employees”
5 SanPiN 2.2.3.1385-03 Hygienic requirements for enterprises producing building materials and structures.
6 Kvashnin, I.M., Khokhlov, air at woodworking industry enterprises. ABOK-PRESS.- 2005.-№8.-P.74-81
Many people purchasing new furniture or those planning to renovate their apartment are faced with such a thing as 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! In addition to 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 amount of modern furniture is produced. 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, used for interior decoration and insulation of residential buildings;
- adhesives, mastics, paints, varnishes, sealants (especially cheap ones);
- market, non-certified Decoration 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 chemical and other production facilities in which this Chemical substance is a part technological process. At home, formalhyde enters the body through inhalation through breathing.
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 ingested, the gastrointestinal tract is more affected, and when inhaled, the respiratory organs are more affected.
Brief hit large quantity substances into the body leads to the development of acute poisoning, and long-term intake 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 system | Runny nose, cough, shortness of breath, choking, swelling of the pharynx and lungs | Persistent dry cough, irritation of nose, throat and asthma attacks |
| Leather | Paleness skin, blisters on the skin (if the substance gets on 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 |
| The cardiovascular system | Increased heart rate, sharp increase in blood pressure | Blood pressure surges |
Internal intake 60-90 ml aqueous solution 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: swelling, complete absence of 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 immediately ambulance! 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 substance ingestion). 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 an 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 for 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 for laryngeal edema.
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. Particular vigilance should be exercised if you have recently moved to a new house or have renovated your 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, 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 making repairs. But it’s better to wait 1-3 months. Even after quality repairs It is recommended to ventilate the apartment well 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 to be 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 a mandatory requirement technical regulations on the safety of building materials:
- certificate or declaration of conformity with the registered manufacturer and place of production;
- quality passport;
- 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 detected 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, do not buy 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 with new furniture: at least for the first 3 months, your cozy home is nothing more than a small ecological disaster. Even if individually each chemical substance does not exceed the norm, their combined effect, and sometimes even 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.
- Regarding the protective polyurethane coating on products made of pressed wood, which are able to retain the substance inside the product and prevent its evaporation into the air, then 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, electromagnetic radiation, bacterial pollutants, allergens, dust mites and a number of other environmental factors can affect the health and worsen the well-being of people, therefore it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of residential premises, which, unfortunately, will not be cheap.
Today on the website “Over 30” we will talk about the impact furniture can have on human health. The thing is that she is not only important element interior, but source of danger. Harmful furniture can cause various ailments among family members.
Today, find an apartment or house in which all the furniture is made from natural wood , extremely difficult. And all because only people with great income can buy it. Alternatively, the interior is usually filled chipboard furniture, cheaper and more accessible.
It is precisely this kind of furniture that is harmful, and to be more precise, the problem is hidden in its plywood and wood paneling. To glue individual pieces of chipboard furniture, use formaldehyde resins. Formaldehyde begins to be released during furniture use and thus has an impact on the human body.
There is an opinion that only recently purchased furniture. This is partly true, but this does not mean that after a couple of months, it will stop emitting formaldehyde. You will still breathe it, the only thing is that its concentration will decrease slightly.
Warning signs of poisoning
Harmful furniture, especially if it was made by low-quality manufacturers who save on everything they can, can disturb your well-being all family members. On my own formaldehyde A fairly powerful substance that irritates the eyes, skin and upper respiratory tract. Prolonged inhalation may provoke the development of cancer, asthma, depression, lead to headaches and insomnia.
To understand how harmful your furniture is, the site advises paying attention to the following symptoms:
- You and other family members very often complain of headaches;
- From time to time your family suffers from a dry cough;
- Your mood changes for no reason, usually it is bad and sad;
- You and other family members feel much better after airing the apartment;
- The symptoms described above do not appear if you and your family live in another place for several days and do not have contact with harmful furniture;
- With the beginning heating season how you feel deteriorates sharply(during the heating season, the concentration of toxic substances usually increases).
If you really begin to notice an incomprehensible change in mood or a deterioration in general well-being, this already largely indicates that harmful furniture is the culprit of all the troubles.
Harmful furniture: how to deal with it
Based on statistical data, then formaldehyde level in the air should not exceed 0.04-0.06 ppm, although in most apartment interiors this figure is significantly overestimated and amounts to 0.07-0.09 ppm.
To find out what level of formaldehyde is in your apartment, you need to seek help from an expert organization. True, their service will cost money, and a lot of it. In the meantime, you are still thinking whether to call or not, try to do something yourself.
Of course, it is unlikely that you will have the desire to get rid of harmful furniture, because you have just bought it or simply do not have the means that will allow you to buy furniture made of natural wood. Then there is only one thing left to do, use the following tips:
- Find some free time and inspect all the furniture– beds, bedside tables, cabinets, shelves. If you notice cracks or scratches on its surface, cover them with PVA glue or furniture varnish. This will prevent the release of harmful toxins.
- Beds, chairs, tables, sofas made of chipboard cover with some material. For example, you can put a beautiful blanket on the sofa, and cover the chairs with cotton material.
- Make sure that harmful pieces of chipboard furniture are kept at a reasonable distance from each other. A collection of such furniture in one place increases the concentration of toxic substances in the atmosphere of your home.
- As often as possible ventilate the premises, where chipboard furniture is located. This will help prevent your family from inhaling excess formaldehyde.
- It will be better if harmful furniture is not placed in the children's room. It's better to spend more, but buy for children good furniture made from natural wood.
Let's conclude
Now you understand what harmful furniture is. Of course, find furniture that would be completely safe, almost impossible. And, nevertheless, if you have the opportunity, then, without hesitation, buy furniture made from natural materials.
Still, whatever one may say, concentration of harmful substances it is more or less close to normal. Otherwise, follow the recommendations described above.
The article tells you how to protect yourself and your loved ones, as well as what to look for when buying and using new furniture.
Now that there are many furniture showrooms, it is possible to purchase new furniture of any design.
The old monotonous sets, cabinets and cabinets have been replaced by beautiful slides, spacious wardrobes, unusual hallways and other pieces of furniture.
But few of us have thought about how dangerous such beauty can be to our health. Everyone knows that modern furniture mainly made from laminated chipboard.
It contains so-called harmful volatile organic compounds. They can greatly harm our health.
But is it possible to protect yourself, or at least reduce your exposure to harmful substances?
> Phenol and formaldehyde are the main enemy hidden in new furniture
Having bought new furniture, we are filled with joy from the purchase. The house is immediately filled with a characteristic smell - all of this is nothing other than toxic substances.
One of them is phenol. It is phenol that is a toxic substance that affects the respiratory tract and skin and can become a source of allergies and constant headaches.
In this case, you will not know the source of your illness, although it is right in front of you. The most dangerous thing is that these substances can lead to cancer.
Phenol together with formaldehyde, which is no less dangerous and poses a threat long years. Any breakage or scratch releases this “genie” from the bottle.
But accidental scratches cannot be avoided, so it is better to repair it immediately. If a breakdown occurs, immediately call a technician and fix the problem.
> How to protect yourself and what to pay attention to
The most dangerous thing is to buy furniture from “fresh” laminated chipboard; it must sit for at least a week. If you ordered a piece of furniture and it was delivered to you quickly, then do not rush to pick it up; it is better to let it sit for several days.
After all, the most dangerous days when we are exposed to intoxication are the first days after purchase.
Safer to buy wooden furniture, but not everyone can afford it. Previously, it was almost always served covered with varnish, and although it was not so beautiful, it was 100% harmless.
Now, no matter what anyone says, all furniture, as a rule, is glued together with phenol-formaldehyde glue.
It is even more dangerous to buy Chinese furniture. Although many people praise it on various sites, this is all just marketing.
What is inside these very slabs, from which very attractive beds, furniture, etc. are made, cannot be understood unless they are sawed.
When you cut the slab, you can see a gray-green substance, which can frankly be called poison. The only plus is that such a slab is completely lined.
When purchasing new furniture:
- Always pay attention to the quality of the cladding. Any exposed part must be covered.
- Expensive furniture, allegedly made in Italy, may well be made in a neighboring garage cooperative. Counterfeits of expensive brands are a tasty morsel.
- Solid wood furniture is also easy to counterfeit and durable bad smell– this is a signal to take a closer look at the purchase.
A few proven tips to reduce the harmful effects of dangerous volatile substances on the body:
- Ventilate the room more often. Do not place furniture near the radiator.
- Look carefully at the edge. It must all be processed.
- It is better to buy products from a large manufacturer; at least you can ask them for a sanitary and epidemiological certificate for furniture and its components, which indicate safety.
In any case, there is no alternative yet. Instead of trusting all kinds of certificates, it is better to trust your eyesight and smell, and the choice is always yours.
(modena select=26, Children's rooms to order)
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