Formaldehyde: A Problem?

HOME CLINIC: I'm contemplating buying an older house. I've heard that some older houses have formaldehyde insulation in the walls that can cause health problems. How do I know if this insulation is in the house? What does it look like? Is it really still a health hazard? How do I get rid of it? J.R., Tukwila

DEAR J.R.: If you are looking at houses that might have been insulated in the 1970s you could find Urea Formaldehyde Insulation (UFFI) in the walls.

UFFI was used in about 500,000 houses nationwide. It had a greater R-value than fiberglass insulation, was easier to install, filled the cavity better than other blown-in insulations, and made the house quieter. It looked like shaving cream being pumped into the walls, and when it cured it turned beige or yellow.

Although it looked like the perfect insulation at the time, it wasn't without drawbacks. The biggest was the amount of formaldehyde it contained. During installation and for a period of time afterward, formaldehyde gas would escape from the foam, creating both short-term and long-term health problems for some house occupants.

Problems related to formaldehyde exposure included eye, nose and throat irritation, skin irritation, nausea, headaches, even dizziness in some individuals.

The number of complaints prompted the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission to ban UFFI for installation in schools and houses in 1982.

If UFFI is installed in a house you are considering, this fact should be disclosed in the sellers agreement. After UFFI was banned in 1982, so many home buyers were concerned that the real-estate industry incorporated a UFFI disclosure statement in the sellers agreement. You can also check for it by removing an outlet or switchplate cover and pulling a small sample of the wall insulation material.

Fortunately, formaldehyde emissions drop off dramatically a year after installation. In the case of the home you are considering, nearly a dozen years minimum would have passed since this insulation could have been installed legally. So the risk of formaldehyde poisoning is virtually nil.

New carpeting, draperies or furniture - which also contain some formaldehyde - present a greater risk of formaldehyde poisoning than UFFI in the walls.

If you still don't like the idea of UFFI in the walls, you could seal it with extensive caulking or tear the walls apart and remove it. Both options would be expensive or difficult and we don't believe either are necessary.

For a free factsheet: Indoor Air Quality: Formaldehyde, call the Energy Hotline toll-free at 1-800-962-9731.

Written by Bruce Carter from the Education and Information Network of the Washington State Energy Office. This information can be made available to accommodate people with disabilities; call 1-800-962-9731 (Voice and TDD).