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Where to Buy Formaldehyde Test Kits?
In this article, I’ll tell you where to buy formaldehyde test kits and how to reduce the amount of formaldehyde in your home and improve indoor air quality.
In recent years, there has been a lot of research concerning formaldehyde and its effect on our health. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, formaldehyde is linked to:
- Eyes, nose, and throat irritation, especially in children
- Studies on rats show that high concentrations of formaldehyde can cause behavioral changes and impair learning abilities
- Exposure to high levels of formaldehyde can lead to nose and throat cancer
- Children exposed to formaldehyde at home may develop asthma-like symptoms
Reducing exposure to formaldehyde at home is paramount for your family’s health. Before we discuss possible formaldehyde sources at your home, let me tell you where to buy a formaldehyde test kit to find out the formaldehyde concentration in your indoor air.
How to Test the Indoor Air for Formaldehyde?
An air quality pollution monitor is the easiest way to screen air for formaldehyde and other pollutants. EG Air Quality Monitor will measure the concentration levels of toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, VOCs, mold, humidity, and temperature. Air quality monitors may not be as accurate as Home Air Check testing, as they are not lab-certified, but they may be just enough if you want to use them at home.
The device is portable, so you can place it in different rooms to get real-time results and help you find the main sources of pollution in your home. To find the sources of formaldehyde, VOCs or mold in your house, you can place the air quality meter in a sealed plastic bag along with an object or pieces of it (e.g., ceiling tiles).
For more accurate results, leave it there for a few hours. This air quality meter is a very useful way of finding and eliminating potential sources of irritation and allergy triggers and improving indoor air quality.
The last air quality testing option are Air Formaldehyde Test Strips. The strips will give you a general idea of whether the levels of formaldehyde at your home are dangerous. It’s a fast and economical way of finding formaldehyde levels, providing visual results to let you assess the air quality at your home or office. The test takes up to 50 minutes and it comes with 6-step instructions.
Although these formaldehyde test strips will only show formaldehyde levels in the air (the EG Air Quality Monitor which also shows other harmful substance levels) and the results will not give you detailed results (Home Air Check), it may be just enough to check if the air you breathe doesn’t harm your health.
If you want to check the concentration levels of formaldehyde in your home or workplace, you can have it professionally tested. It’s especially useful in newly built or newly renovated buildings. Home Air Check offers a variety of air quality tests. Their formaldehyde test covers 2000 sq. ft. (the side of a 1-2 bedroom apartment or a small house). You’ll need to order more tests if you’ve got a bigger house. So how does it work?
- Order a test kit,
- Collect air samples according to the instructions,
- Send it back to Home Air Check,
- Receive the results, potential sources of formaldehyde, and advice on how to eliminate them.
- They also offer phone and email support to help you cut your exposure to formaldehyde at home and at work.
What Is a Dangerous Level of Formaldehyde?
If the formaldehyde concentration in indoor air is higher than 0.1 ppm (per million parts of air) it can irritate the respiratory tract and trigger asthma-like symptoms. The permissible levels of formaldehyde in the workplace are 0.75 ppm over 8 hours, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
What Are the Sources of Formaldehyde at Home and How to Eliminate Them?
- Furniture is made using different chemicals, such as glues, finishes, stains, that continuously release toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde, into the air. The best thing you can do is to replace it with nontoxic furniture. Non-toxic furniture is made from solid wood or eco-MDF. The finishes are usually natural (linseed oil) or zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds). Zero-VOC furniture won’t release harmful substances into the air and will help you reduce your formaldehyde exposure at home.
- Mattresses can be a source of formaldehyde in your home and other toxic chemicals released into the air and can affect your health. It’s because they contain adhesives, polyurethane foams, and other materials that can be sources of formaldehyde. Instead of using normal, cheap mattresses, invest in an organic mattress made from natural materials such as latex, organic cotton, and wool. If you prefer a memory foam mattress, buy a non toxic memory foam mattress with CertiPur certificate. This certificate shows that the mattress contains low quantities of toxic chemicals and won’t off-gas.
- Building materials may also be a source of formaldehyde. It’s almost impossible to eliminate them, however, you can make sure that the paints and varnishes are zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Another thing you can do is to keep your house well ventilated.
- Pressed fabrics are fabrics chemically treated to make them more durable and easier to iron. These fabrics are used to make clothes, curtains, bedding, etc. Make sure to wash pressed fabric products in your washing machine before using them for the first time. Another thing you can do is invest in organic bedding and organic cotton clothes and make sure that the textiles you use are Oeko-Tex certified.
- Tobacco smoke. If you want to limit your family’s exposure to formaldehyde, make sure that noone smokes indoors.
- Cosmetics and cleaning products can also increase formaldehyde concentration in the air. Using organic cosmetics and organic cleaning products that contain only natural ingredients will help you reduce your formaldehyde exposure at home.
- Get an air purifier. An air purifier will help remove formaldehyde, VOCs, and all kinds of particles found in indoor air. You can find air purifiers that can clean big or small spaces, depending on your needs. Read more about air purifiers here.
Conclusion
It’s worth having your indoor air tested for formaldehyde as in high concentrations, it can have a negative effect on your family’s health. Taking steps to reduce formaldehyde exposure at work and home is crucial if you want to improve indoor air quality. Testing for formaldehyde is especially important in new buildings or recently restored buildings, as they may have high concentrations of formaldehyde.
Remember to keep your house well-ventilated with windows open whenever possible, especially in rural areas. Using an air purifier can be especially useful in urban areas where the concentration of formaldehyde in outdoor air may be high, so opening the windows may not be the best option.
Read More: What are the best air detoxifying plants?
About the Author Kamila Flieger
My name is Kamila, and I'm passionate about researching non-toxic, organic products for the home. I believe it's so important to create a safe and healthy environment for our families, and I enjoy helping others do the same.
