Formaldehyde Levels and the Factors Affecting These Levels in Homes in Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

Formaldehyde is a highly irritant gas commonly encountered in indoor environments. Domestic levels of formaldehyde may vary with building practices and climate and the aim of the present study was to investigate formaldehyde levels in 185 homes in Perth, Australia. The formaldehyde was monitored using a validated passive sampling technique. Levels were measured in four rooms of each house (living room, kitchen and large and small bedrooms). In 160 homes the monitoring was repeated 4–7 months later in a different season to the original measurement. It was found that within homes there was no significant difference in formaldehyde concentrations measured in the four rooms. For the first sampling period, the geometric mean of the average household concentration (average of the four rooms) for all homes was 22.8 ppb and ranged from 3.0 to 92.3 ppb. Only the age of the house (p < 0.0001) and the season of monitoring (p < 0.0001) were significant predictors of indoor levels, higher levels in newer homes and in homes monitored in summer. Mean concentrations were lower during the follow-up monitoring, but only in houses that were less than 10 years old or in houses that were initially monitored in summer. Overall formaldehyde concentrations were low and rarely exceeded the Australian guideline level of 100 ppb. There seemed to be good inter-room mixing of formaldehyde within homes. Concentrations were significantly affected by season and age of the house.

Impacts of contaminant storage on indoor air quality: Model development

“…If kL is higher, the indoor concentration may decay significantly over a ten-year period due to depleted storage. However, observed indoor formaldehyde concentrations are rarely less than than 3-5 μg/m 3 above the outdoor levels (Dingle & Franklin, 2002;Park & Ikeda, 2006;Hun et al, 2010;Willem et al, 2013). Factors that could contribute to this discrepancy include: multiple storage media with different depletion times, storage capacity not as low as the lower estimate, and the introduction of new sources.…”

“…Sampling in nearly 300 homes in three subsequent summers, Park and Ikeda (2006) observed a decrease in indoor formaldehyde concentration in homes initially less than 6 months old. Dingle and Franklin (2002) reported the concentration tends to decrease if the home is less than 10 years old. Gilbert et al (2008) reported higher indoor formaldehyde concentrations in homes where new furniture was introduced in the past 12 months, and Park and Ikeda (2006) noted the level of total VOCs increased by a factor of two in homes that had been renovated in the past year.…”

“…It is difficult to quantify the timescale associated with depletion of formaldehyde sources in observational studies because this timescale tends to be long (a year or longer). Additionally, temperature and humidity can cause indoor concentrations to vary seasonally by up to a factor of two (Dingle & Franklin, 2002). Comparing single measurements in different homes, Hun et al (2010) reported no correlation between house age and indoor air concentration of formaldehyde.…”

Technical Note: Intercomparison of formaldehyde measurements at the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR

“…HCHO is ubiquitously found throughout the troposphere with levels ranging from a few ppt in clean background air conditions to a few tens of ppb in polluted atmospheres such as metropolitan areas or contaminated indoor environments (e.g. Dingle and Franklin, 2002;Koppmann and Wildt, 2007).…”

Formaldeído em escolas: uma revisão

“…39 Os níveis de formaldeído medidos em divisões distintas de 185 residências de Perth, Austrália, não revelaram diferenças significativas. 169 ), a um presumível limite a partir do qual podem ocorrer danos citotóxicos da mucosa nasal. Numa pesquisa recente em que foi aplicado um modelo para estimar a exposição por inalação a vários poluentes, tendo por base as concentrações medidas no projeto AIRMEX e o tempo passado pela população em vários microambientes (interior no lar, interior no trabalho ou escola, exterior e nos transportes), concluiu-se que uma fração significativa dos habitantes das cidades europeias está exposta a níveis que ultrapassam o limite de 30 µg m -3 (média de 30 min).…”