2 of the 7 whole-house customized new houses had formaldehyde exceeding the standard! Who is responsible for the TVOC in children's rooms exceeding the standard by nearly 4 times?

Many whole-house customized furniture brands will claim to be zero formaldehyde: "use imported environmentally friendly boards", "ensure that furniture products meet environmental standards", and "fully comply with national environmental standards". In the customization market, merchants almost all have a positive "statement" on the environmental protection of their products.

Is whole-house customization really equal to "whole-house environmental protection"? If the panels are environmentally friendly, will the indoor environment be healthier? In March, the third round of collection for the Nandu House Appraisal Team focused on customized furniture for the whole house. This house inspection team is composed of Nandu Appraisal and Evaluation Laboratory and Guangzhou Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute. From the collected applicants, 7 whole-house customized furniture housing samples were selected to provide free inspection of the whole house.

The results showed that among the 7 samples, 2 of the whole-house customized homes had varying degrees of formaldehyde, xylene, and TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) exceeding the standards: formaldehyde was the highest It exceeded the standard by 60%, xylene exceeded the standard by up to 20%, and TVOC exceeded the standard by about 3.9 times. The highest detection values ??of these three pollutants were all from the same sample.

Appraisal Record

Time: March to May 2019

Testing organization: Guangzhou Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute

Testing items : Formaldehyde, benzene series (benzene, toluene, xylene), TVOC (total volatile organic compounds)

Reference standard: GB/T18883-2002 "Indoor Air Quality Standard"

(Note: This test is based on the overall indoor environment of the sample, and there are other interfering factors. Since it does not target specific customized home brands, the brands involved are anonymized.)

Identification From the beginning

In order to find environmentally friendly boards, I went to the factory to inspect

When decorating new houses, they are worried that indoor air pollutants will affect the health of children and the elderly. Many people are looking for whole houses that claim to be "zero formaldehyde" Customized furniture, but worried that building materials such as boards and paint are not environmentally friendly enough.

When Mr. Li, who lives in Haizhu District, chose a whole-house customization brand, he mainly considered environmental protection, price and quality issues. After comparing with many companies, he chose a smaller whole-house customization brand after being introduced by a friend. We also went to the factory to conduct an on-site inspection and made a decision after seeing the ready-made furniture and the production process.

Also worried about the impact of indoor decoration on children's health are Mr. Wang from Tianhe District and Ms. Qu from Huangpu District. Both families bought degree houses for their children to study. "Before I renovated, I checked online for the most harmful paints and building materials. I also inspected the production process of custom-made furniture for the entire house. I also checked the board test report." Mr. Wang said frankly that he valued solid wood boards the most.

Ms. Qu from Huangpu District is in a similar situation. Because I have a two-year-old boy at home and I have a professional background in chemistry, I paid special attention to the environmental protection of the boards, and finally chose to use solid boards.

Some owners are busy with work and can only choose customized furniture for the whole house.

Some owners of new houses put a lot of effort into finding environmentally friendly building materials, while others are busy with work and can only complete the decoration. Leave it to a well-known and trustworthy whole-house custom furniture brand. Ms. Zeng, who is busy with her career, said that she chose a brand of whole-house customized furniture with a good reputation after being introduced by a friend. In addition to participating in the design and panel selection, the decoration company was fully responsible for everything else.

"The new house was renovated in January this year. Since I haven't lived in it, I left it there without opening the windows for ventilation."

Ms. Zeng also successfully signed up for the Nandu House Appraisal Group event this time. The test results showed that the indoor air quality of the sample was good, and the detection values ??of formaldehyde, benzene series, and TVOC were all within the qualified line.

Identification results

2 of the 7 samples exceeded the standard for formaldehyde, with the maximum exceeding the standard by 60%

Formaldehyde, benzene series, and TVOC were It is common in home decoration and is also a relatively harmful pollutant. As the number one invisible killer of indoor air in newly renovated homes, formaldehyde has obvious irritating effects on skin, eyes, nose, etc.

Gu Shiming, executive director of the Guangdong Provincial Indoor Environmental Hygiene Industry Association, said that formaldehyde can cause acute irritation to the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract mucosa, causing some uncomfortable symptoms, such as dry skin, dermatitis, tears, red eyes, Itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc.

On October 27, 2017, in the list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, formaldehyde was placed in the list of Class I carcinogens.

The test results showed that 2 of the 7 whole-house customized samples exceeded the standard for formaldehyde, up to 60% above the standard, and 1 just reached the limit of 0.1mg/m3. Specifically, the master room of a sample in Mingyue Community had a formaldehyde detection value of 0.16mg/m3, which was the most serious exceedance; the children's room of the Yunjing Mingdu sample had a formaldehyde detection value of 0.15mg/m3; the master bedroom of the Cultural Courtyard sample had a formaldehyde detection value of 0.15mg/m3. The formaldehyde detection value just reached the standard limit of 0.1 mg/m3 (the sample was tested after being sealed for 48 hours, which far exceeded the standard detection time).

Formaldehyde comes from a wide range of sources after indoor decoration, mainly from adhesives in building decoration materials, interior wall coatings, artificial panels, chemical fiber carpets, plastics and insulation materials. Ye Yuanjian, a senior engineer at the Guangzhou Institute of Quality Supervision and Inspection, analyzed this and found that the reason for the excessive formaldehyde was initially determined to be the "superposition effect" of formaldehyde in a small space, resulting in excessive formaldehyde content.

“Perhaps the formaldehyde content of wall paint, customized furniture panels, wooden beds, curtains and other products are all qualified, but because they cannot be dissipated in a timely manner in a small space, they continue to accumulate and superimpose, eventually leading to indoor The formaldehyde content in the air exceeds the limit. ”

One sample of children’s room contained xylene exceeding the standard by 20%. Experts said that xylene may cause leukemia in children

“Benzene series products are more difficult to decompose than formaldehyde. The smelting cost is higher and the toxicity is the highest." Gu Shiming introduced that benzene, toluene, and xylene are collectively referred to as benzene series. Among them, xylene is not only highly toxic and volatile, but also a highly carcinogen. "Xylene is the main causative factor of childhood leukemia among gaseous pollutants." What is xylene?

Xu Pusheng, member of the Respiratory Professional Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Health Management Association and chief physician and professor of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Second Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, introduced that xylene is odorous and often colorless, and can cause direct physical stimulation, chemical reactions, and allergies. People with allergies may have allergies, and those with abnormalities in their immune systems may also cause adverse reactions in their bodies.

The results showed that the benzene and toluene content in the air of the seven samples were all below the standard limits. However, xylene in the master room and children's room of a certain sample in Mingyue Community exceeded the standard, with the detected values ??being 0.23m g/m3 and 0.24m g/m3 respectively. According to the requirements of GB/T 18883-2002 "Indoor Air Quality Standard", the detection value of xylene should be less than or equal to 0.20m g/m3. As a result, the xylene content of this sample exceeded the standard by up to 20%.

Ye Yuanjian introduced that benzene compounds (benzene, toluene, xylene) mainly come from coatings and adhesives used in decoration. Some newly painted furniture surfaces will also contain benzene compounds before the paint has completely evaporated. of release. It is reported that xylene is one of the components of Tianna water and a solvent for oil-based paints. Adding a certain amount of solvent to coatings to meet some performance requirements is the main reason for excessive benzene content.

The highest TVOC detection value in a sample of children's room exceeded the standard by about 3.9 times

In this test, only one of the 7 samples exceeded the standard TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) item, and it exceeded the standard. The situation is more serious. The results showed that TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) at three testing points for a sample in Mingyue Community all exceeded the standard. This household also had formaldehyde and xylene exceeding the limit. Specifically, the TVOC detection values ??in the living room, master room, and children's room were 1.52mg/m3, 2.78mg/m3, and 2.93mg/m3 respectively. According to the "Indoor Air Quality Standard", the limit value of TVOC in indoor air is 0.60m g/m 3. The TVOC in this sample children's room exceeded the standard by up to 3.9 times.

What is TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds)? What potential hazards may be caused by exceeding the standard? According to Gu Shiming, during the interior decoration process, TVOC mainly comes from paints, coatings and adhesives. For example, adhesives, coatings, paints, boards, wallpapers, etc. in construction and decoration materials will release TVOC.

TVOCs can cause irritation to the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms.

Sample analysis

A. Sample of Mingyue Community

The owner with the most severe air pollution exceeds the standard said that he has always paid attention to purchasing environmentally friendly building materials

Results It showed that among the 7 samples, the Mingyue Community sample had the most severe exceedances of formaldehyde, xylene, and TVOC. Formaldehyde in the master room exceeded the standard by 60%, xylene in the children's room exceeded the standard by 20%, and TVOC exceeded the standard by about 3.9 times. It became the one with the highest detection value of excessive items among the 7 samples.

At 10:30 in the morning on April 22, the home inspection team came to the owner's home and saw about 13 pots of pothos placed in the house, including 3 pots of pothos in the master room, and one in the children's room and the living room. About 5 pots.

According to the owner Mr. Wang, he chose customized furniture from a brand in Shenzhen. In addition, he added a new sofa in the living room, new beds and mattresses in both bedrooms, and new furniture on the walls of the master room. There are oil paintings hanging. The decoration of the new house started in September 2018, and the walls were painted in October. The decoration was completed in January this year, and curtains were installed in the living room and rooms. "Because we pay attention to environmental protection, we have always maintained ventilation after the decoration was completed, and purchased many pots of pothos to absorb formaldehyde."

This test result surprised Mr. Wang. He originally purchased a school district house for his daughter to enter elementary school. He had always paid attention to purchasing environmentally friendly building materials, but he did not expect indoor air pollution to be so serious. In the future, he plans to increase ventilation and buy more pothos and vinegar to remove formaldehyde.

It is reported that using vinegar, freshener, etc. to cover up the smell of a new house will not only fail to purify the air, but may also create an illusion and cause secondary pollution.

B. Sample of Tianhe District Cultural Courtyard

Worried about the impact on pregnant women due to the ventilation of the wedding room, they dare not live there for more than half a year

Sample of Tianhe District Cultural Courtyard, owner They are two retired elderly people in their sixties. This sample is a wedding house for their son and daughter-in-law. Because the daughter-in-law of the owner, Granny Wang, is pregnant and due to give birth at the end of June this year, for the sake of the baby's health, the couple has not dared to move into the new house.

Due to the long renovation time, the ventilation of this sample lasted more than half a year after renovation. According to the owner, the decoration of the new home was officially completed in October 2018, including painting the walls, laying wooden floors, installing blinds, and installing customized furniture. In addition, the owner added two mattresses from other brands. When the engineer came to inspect, there was a mattress and some sundries in the master bedroom. The mattress in the small room had been removed in advance, but there were also some sundries piled up.

Since it rained two days before the test, the owner did not open the ventilation and sealed the room for 48 hours. For the standard test time of 12 hours, it has exceeded 3 times the sealing time, and the harmful gases in the room will Cumulative superposition may cause the detection value of this sample to be higher.

Experts suggest that consumers ventilate their rooms in a timely manner to help harmful gases released in the room dissipate faster.

C. Yunjing Mingdu sample

Formaldehyde in the children's room exceeds the standard by 50%. The small space may have a "superposition effect"

The owner of the Yunjing Mingdu sample Sir, choose a well-known listed whole-house customization brand in the industry. In addition to the brand's custom furniture throughout the house, only two new beds were added. According to the owner, Mr. Zhang, he wanted to upgrade to a larger three-bedroom apartment because his family welcomed a second child.

The walls of the new house were painted at the end of December 2018. Customized wardrobes and children's beds were installed on January 22 this year. Two new beds were purchased in February.

New curtains were installed in the living room and three rooms on March 12, and all curtains were of the same brand. In addition to the curtains in the children's room, other furniture such as bookcases, wardrobes, children's beds, etc. are all from the same whole-house customization brand.

However, it is worth noting that the children's room is small in size and has painted walls. There is a double-decker wooden bed with a stair cabinet, a wardrobe connected to the roof, and A large bookcase and desk are filled with various daily necessities, including mattresses, quilts, pillows, clothes, chairs, etc.

The results showed that the formaldehyde detection value in the children's room of this sample was 0.15mg/m3, exceeding the standard by 50%; the TVOC detection value was 0.53mg/m3, approaching the standard limit of 0.6mg/m3. The detection values ??of formaldehyde, benzene series, and TVOC in the master bedroom were all within the standard limits.

This surprised Mr. Zhang, "My home faces northeast and has not been treated with aldehyde removal. It is always ventilated when the weather is good. However, there is a lot of rain in Guangzhou in the first half of the year, so the window opening time is reduced." . In addition to ventilation, Mr. Zhang also placed four pots of pothos in each room to absorb formaldehyde. After learning the results, he plans to ventilate the room for a few more months and move in again in August. "I'm considering buying an air purifier."

According to Ye Yuanjian, the space of the children's room is small. In addition to painting the walls, there are also a large number of wooden furniture, textiles and other items placed in it. It is likely that they were released by a variety of materials. Formaldehyde in small spaces has a "superposition effect" and a "cumulative effect" (because it cannot be dispersed in time in a small space, so it continues to accumulate and superimpose), eventually causing the formaldehyde content in indoor air to exceed the limit value.

Experts explain:

Is solid wood more environmentally friendly? Not necessarily, it mainly depends on the processing technology and raw materials

Many boards on the market claim to be "pollution-free, zero formaldehyde". Are they really environmentally friendly? Which board is the most environmentally friendly for home decoration? What are the standards for environmental protection?

Liang Yubin, an engineer at the Guangdong Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, introduced that as the main raw material in decoration and furniture production, boards can be divided into two categories: solid boards and artificial boards according to material; according to the molding classification, they include solid boards, Plywood, density board, particleboard, decorative panels, etc.

"Based on the amount of adhesive used, the formaldehyde content in solid wood boards is generally lower than that of other boards. However, this cannot be said to be that solid wood boards are safer and more environmentally friendly than artificial boards. The influencing factors include raw material quality, Production process, finished product inventory time, etc. ”

According to modern furniture manufacturing processes, is it possible for some boards to claim to be zero-formaldehyde? Liang Yubin said that the environmental protection of the board has a lot to do with the adhesive used.

At present, adhesives commonly used in the production of boards include urea-formaldehyde resin, phenolic resin, melamine polyformaldehyde resin, etc., which require a large amount of formaldehyde in the raw materials, and the finished products also contain free formaldehyde, which is also the cause of formaldehyde pollution in finished furniture. main source.

In recent years, some furniture manufacturers have used isocyanate glue as an adhesive and claimed that their finished products are zero-formaldehyde boards. Formaldehyde is not involved in the production of isocyanate adhesive raw materials, which will indeed greatly reduce the formaldehyde content in the product, but the adhesive will also produce other pollutants.

He suggested that when consumers choose panel furniture, they should pay more attention to the type of panel, the adhesive used, and the company’s sense of responsibility. "According to the national standard GB18580-2017, the limited label of my country's artificial panels is only E 1 level. There are not many businesses in the market hyping E 0 level boards. Don't be fooled by the merchants' marketing rhetoric."

Can formaldehyde be removed with pothos, aloe vera, etc.? This folk remedy is unscientific

Can formaldehyde be completely eliminated in home decoration? Gu Shiming said that it is currently unrealistic to completely eliminate formaldehyde in home decoration. In the process of home decoration, it is impossible to completely eliminate materials such as plywood, paint, adhesives, and dyes. These materials inevitably contain formaldehyde, and there are currently no substitutes based on current technical conditions.

To stay away from formaldehyde, the most fundamental way is to start from the source, such as using environmentally friendly materials, environmentally friendly furniture and professional decoration teams, using light decoration as much as possible to reduce the use of decoration building materials.

The Nandu House Appraisal Team found that many families will choose to use plants such as pothos, aloe vera, monstera, etc. to absorb indoor formaldehyde, benzene, TVOC, etc. after they have just completed decoration.

Gu Shiming said that this folk remedy is not scientific and is not recommended. For newly renovated homes where formaldehyde, xylene, and TVOC are found to exceed the standard, he suggested finding a qualified treatment company to carry out pollution control, and also consider purchasing a functional air purifier to treat both the symptoms and the root cause. "The filter material of the air purifier must be replaced regularly, otherwise secondary pollution may occur after adsorption saturation."