That “New Car Smell” Can Harm You

Whether you are chemically sensitive, interested in minimizing your exposure to toxins or simply appreciate the ambiance of residing in an all-wood home, you will appreciate that all of our tiny house kits are non-toxic and formaldehyde-free.

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic, colorless, and flammable gas. Its odor is pungent and irritating odor easily recognized by that “new house smell” or “new car smell”. When you enter one of our tiny houses or cabins, all you can smell is the scent of the wood.

Formaldehyde vapor is readily absorbed from the lungs and by skin or eye contact. In sensitive individuals, a noticeable odor is not an adequate indicator of formaldehyde’s presence and may not provide reliable warning of hazardous concentrations, as odor adaptation can occur.

The maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to 1 hour without experiencing or developing irreversible or other serious health effects or symptoms which could impair an individual’s ability to take protective action) = 10 ppm

The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that formaldehyde may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen {cancer causing substance}. Additional adverse effects on the central nervous system such as increased prevalence of headache, depression, mood changes, insomnia, irritability, attention deficit, and impairment of dexterity, memory, and equilibrium have been reported to result from long-term chronic exposure.

Children exposed to the same levels of formaldehyde as adults may receive larger doses because they have greater lung surface area: body weight ratios and increased minute volumes: weight ratios. In addition, they may be exposed to higher levels than adults in the same location because of their short stature and the higher levels of formaldehyde found nearer to the ground, as formaldehyde vapor is heavier than air.

Resources

Toxicological Profile for Formaldehyde Report by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry

Toxicology of Formaldehyde Report by the State of Michigan

Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Formaldehyde: A Systematic Review by National Institutes of Health

Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde Inhalation Toxicity, by the United States Environmental Protection Agency