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FORMALDEHYDE IN RVs
This is a problem we all need to address.  We can contact manufacturers and we can insist on more natural and organic materials....

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Summary:  The most significant source is likely to be pressed wood products made using adhesives with UF (urea-formaldehyde) resins.  This includes furniture made with particle board and plywood paneling.

Danger formaldehyde

Effects on health (US Environmental Agency):  Formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.  Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions.

This is a problem we all need to address.  We can contact manufacturers and we can insist on more natural and organic materials.

The following quotes from the US Environmental Agency:

"In homes, the most significant sources of formaldehyde are likely to be pressed wood products made using adhesives that contain urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins. Pressed wood products made for indoor use include: particleboard (used as sub-flooring and shelving and in cabinetry and furniture); hardwood plywood paneling (used for decorative wall covering and used in cabinets and furniture); and medium density fiberboard (used for drawer fronts, cabinets, and furniture tops). Medium density fiberboard contains a higher resin-to-wood ratio than any other UF pressed wood product and is generally recognized as being the highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.

Other pressed wood products, such as softwood plywood and flake or oriented strandboard, are produced for exterior construction use and contain the dark, or red/black-colored phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin. Although formaldehyde is present in both types of resins, pressed woods that contain PF resin generally emit formaldehyde at considerably lower rates than those containing UF resin."

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Re: Formaldehyde poisoning in RVsbeachbumDoes anyone have a list of either the worst brands or brands that are formaldehyde free?See RoTi item
Re: CampLite travel trailerJulienefrom the picture it looks like all aluminum. I'm chemically sensitive and am looking for a small trailer that doesn't offgas formaldehyde or plastic odors. Does the composite adhesive do that?See RoTi item
Re: Formaldehyde in RVsJUDAH FREILIC I NOTICED THAT THERE IS A BLAMING FORMALDAHYDE FROM THE RV. PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE BOMB THAT THEY ARE PUTTING IN THERE HOLDING TANKS. THE BOTTLE CONTAINS FORMALDHYDE WHICH TURNS INTO A GAS RUPTURING THE PLASTIC BOTTLE AND FILLING THE RV WITH TOXIC GAS. THE REST OF THE PRODUCT IN MY CASE THEN RAN INTO THE FLOOR CARPET, PLYWOOD AND BLENDS WITH THE OTHER FORMALDHYDE MAKING A CONCOCTION OF DEATH. IN OUR CASE THE MOTOR HOME WAS DECLARED A TOXIC WASTE. LET ALONE ALL THE SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES. MY HEALTH WAS DESTROYED AND NOW IM SUPPOSE TO HAVE OX 24 7.See RoTi item
Re: Formaldehyde poisoning in RVsSusan RappoportMy brother bought a new travel trailer when he retired at age 54. He planned to live in it and travel to different parts of the country. After a short time, he started getting sick. He had slurred speech, loss of balance, severe depression and other symptoms. One side of his back started hurting. When we finally got him to go to the doctor, he had Stage IV kidney cancer. He died from it. I tested his trailer for formaldehyde over a year and half after he bought it. He had been airing it out all fall and into the winter. He was out of the trailer. My sister and I were taking care of him. The formaldehyde level in the trailer tested at .265 parts per million. A professional embalmer is exposed to .3 parts per million and is required to wear safety gear when using formaldehyde. He was my little brother. He worked so hard all his life. He was such a good person. My faith has been severely tested watching the pain and sickness he had to go through. The manufacturers of these trailers are not made to follow the law regarding the so-called "safe" level of formaldehyde, which I believe is .1 parts per million. There are those who think .1 parts per million is way too high for health safety. He died two years ago. I did extensive internet searches on formaldehyde. Today is the first time I have been able to get back on the internet and look up formaldehyde poisoning. My brother left three sisters and two sons broken hearted. See RoTi item
Re: Quicksilver VRV camper/cargo trailerWanna RVThe camper/cargo trailer is one unique RV! We're looking for an RV for our family and this is what we're looking for. Lightweight, so we don't need to upgrade our Ford Escape tow vehicle. Aluminum so it won't rust or rot (I hate that!). No formaldehyde off gassing from cheap chipboard construction. I love it!See RoTi item
Re: Earthbound travel trailerCarrieI like the idea of an RV that's looked at environmental factors. My concern is the formaldehyde and chemical odors in RV's. Everybody knows they make people sick and we've known for a long time that there are materials that can be substituted, but maybe they cost more. It looks as if manufacturers are starting to take notice.See RoTi item
Re: Formaldehyde poisoning in RVsALLEN FRALEYI WAS POISONED BECAUSE MY CHEMCLEAN BOTTLE BY THETFORD RUPTURED AND RELEASED THE LIQID THROUGH OUT THE MOTOR HOME. EVIDENTLY THE BOTLE GOT TO HOT EVEN THOUGH THE AIR WAS ON. WE RETURNED IN THREE WEEKS OPENED THE DOOR, AND THE REST WAS HISTORY. I WAS BLEEDING FROM THE LUNGS ETC. HAD TO QUIT MY JOB AS DID MY WIFE. THE BOOTLE RUPTURED IN TWO LIKE SLITS AT THE BOTTOM AND THETFORD IS SAYING IT IS A CUT NOT A RUPTURE? ALL I KNOW IS I CAN HARDLY BREATH AFTER ALMOST A YEAR. AND SHARE MOST OF THE SYMTOMS OF THE OTHERS. HOW CAN WE TEST THAT BOTTLE?See RoTi item
Re:Reducing formaldehyde in RVsHarriett McFeelyWe live in a 17 year old modular. Our health has seriously deteriorated and the formaldehyde has killed 4 of my dogs over this time period We have been in contact with 15 other families in modulars. They are all sick and all of their indoor pets are all DEAD. We ripped out all of our carpets and replaced our kitchen cupboards in the spring. We thought we were o.k....Then winter came. We closed up our house and turned on the furnace....Within 2 weeks all of our formaldehyde symptoms were back. I am furious!!!!!!!!! Will your blanket work in a modular?????????????See RoTi item
Re: Formaldehyde poisoning in RVsMinnesotaI think I had formaldehyde poisoning in the 1980s from my new home. It was not diagnosed at the time, I came to suspect it later after reading a newspaper article on the subject. My symptoms were: splitting headache for one year, insomnia, tired in daytime, severe short-term memory loss, burning esophagus, trouble inhaling deeply, trouble swallowing, pounding heart, depression, aching muscles, trouble making simple decisions and extreme muscle weakness. The memory loss was such that when driving I would forget the difference between red and green traffic lights. When going to the mailbox or downstairs to the freezer, I would have to talk aloud continually, telling myself where I was going, otherwise, I would forget before I got there. I could not enjoy a television show because my bad memory would not allow me to follow the plot. When reading a book (and I read every book I could find on depression), I would have to re-read each paragraph 5-10 times before it would sink into my memory. The headache was so bad that I would tip-toe around the house, because any jostling at all increased the pain of the pounding headache. The breathing problems were so bad that I was afraid to go to sleep at night, fearing that I would suffocate because it was such an effort to breathe. It was so hard to swallow that I would carry a napkin around to spit in rather than subject myself to needless swallowing. See RoTi item
Re: Formaldehyde poisoning in RVsnamsangelsDid anyone have memory loss, eye color change, muscle pain?See RoTi item
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