The formaldehyde test passed, so why does my house still smell bad?

In the background, we often receive messages from everyone: The formaldehyde level in my home is not above the standard, why does the house still have a smell?

Some friends also reported that the formaldehyde test in their homes passed, but they still felt unwell.

What went wrong?

After testing, we found that the culprit of all this is most likely TVOC, which has been ignored by everyone.

# Exceeding standard rate is higher than formaldehyde#

Compared to formaldehyde, very few people know about TVOC.

Almost everyone who renovates their home has heard of the hazards of formaldehyde, a type 1 carcinogen certified by the World Health Organization. However, few people know that benzene contained in TVOC is also a type 1 carcinogen.

TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) is an important source of pollution in decoration. It has complex components, including benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, butyl acetate, n-undecane and other unidentified compounds, many of which are very harmful to the human body.

For example, benzene can enter the human body through the respiratory tract. Long-term inhalation of air with excessive benzene concentration can easily cause chronic benzene poisoning, leading to symptoms such as laryngeal edema and thrombocytopenia. Long-term low-dose exposure can cause cumulative toxicity.

Toluene and xylene are highly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, can damage the nervous system, etc.

Therefore, even if the formaldehyde level in your home is acceptable, do not take it lightly and ignore the hazards of TVOC.

According to a survey report on 67,624 households conducted by us and the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, the TVOC exceeding the standard rate in households was 49.3%, higher than formaldehyde, nearly half.

However, the number of TVOC detections is always lower than that of formaldehyde detections, and is only one-fifth of that of formaldehyde detections (data comes from the 140,000+ households we detected).

There are many families who live in an environment where TVOC levels exceed the standard without realizing it.

# Complex ingredients and difficult to manage#

TVOC has a very complex composition and source, and its presence can be seen in many places:

Given that we spend at least 8 hours a day indoors, indoor TVOC issues need to be given greater attention.

When we were evaluating decoration materials before, we found that white latex, bamboo furniture, foam glue, interface agent, three-dimensional wall stickers, glass glue, wood wax oil, caulking agent, waterproof coating, children's paint, etc. all have more or less TVOC problems.

▲ Our previous test results

Among them, the foam glue we tested, when used indoors, caused the indoor air TVOC to exceed the standard by nearly 200 times!

▲ GB/T 18883-2002 "Indoor Air Quality Standard" stipulates that TVOC concentration ≤ 0.60mg/m³ is qualified

However, there is no need to worry too much about TVOC release sources used on the surface of building materials (such as silicone sealant and caulking agent). The concentration can be significantly reduced after a period of ventilation.

What we need to pay attention to is the TVOC in boards, furniture, and floors. Like formaldehyde, the TVOC they contain is mainly inside, and the release cycle is longer. At the same time, they occupy a larger area in the home decoration, which makes it easy for TVOC to accumulate and lead to exceeding the standard.

Since TVOC is a complex and stable substance, there is no particularly good product to remove it. To control it, there are mainly the following methods:

# Only true understanding can lead to change#

So how do I know if my TVOC exceeds the limit? Can I just smell it?

Unfortunately, TVOC cannot be identified by taste alone.

Many organic compounds in TVOCs have a smell, but many have no noticeable smell.

The Japanese Ministry of Environment once measured the olfactory thresholds of 223 chemical substances. We selected several common pollutants in indoor air and found that alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons in TVOC are difficult to identify by smell.

▲ The higher the olfactory threshold, the harder it is to perceive, that is, the harder it is to smell.

Therefore, if there is no strong smell at home, the TVOC level may not be acceptable. If there is a strong smell at home, the TVOC level may not exceed the standard.

It still needs to rely on professional instruments to make judgments.

Finally, we hope that through our efforts, we can help more people understand indoor air safety knowledge and help more people avoid invisible hazards.

References:

[1] Wen Huaxiao, Wei Chenxi, Chen Shaohui, et al. Damage to the spleen of mice exposed to benzene and formaldehyde[J]. Journal of Ecotoxicology, 2013, 8(4): 571-576.

[2] Cao Qin, Liu Yanhua, Wei Fusheng. Indoor air pollution status and prevention suggestions in my country [J]. China Environmental Monitoring, 2003(05):67-72.

[3] Sun Ruixue. Research on the distribution law and detection technology of TVOC in indoor environment[D]. Central South University, 2012, 3.

[4] Nagata Yoshio, Takeuchi Kyofumi. Threshold determination results of odor substances by three-point comparison odor bag method [J]. Journal of the Japanese Environmental Society No. 17, 1990.

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Source: Dad Review