Evaluation of formaldehyde emission from test panels of urea-formaldehyde foam insulation

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5250738

Hawthorne, A R; Gammage, R B

One important potential source of formaldehyde in the home is urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). Measurements of the formaldehyde emission from test panels simulating a section of a house wall were made approximately 16 months after initial foaming. The test panels are approximately 16'' wide and 8' tall with a latex-painted gypsum board interior wall and an exterior wall consisting of cellulose sheathing with aluminum or cedar siding. Nine different commercially available foams were tested. Three types of measurements were conducted. The first type was designed to simulate the conditions in a corner room of a house with an air exchange rate of approximately 0.7 h/sup -1/. Clean air was flowed over the face of the interior wall and the emitted concentration of formaldehyde measured. Based on these measurements, projected room concentrations for the nine UFFI panels ranged from 0.03 to 0.4 ppM with an average of 0.13 +- 0.11 ppM. A second type of measurement was taken of air from within the foamed cavity. Formaldehyde concentrations of several ppM were observed. The final type of experiment simulated a near-zero air exchange rate. The test chambers were sealed and the formaldehyde concentration was allowed to equilibrate. The formaldehyde concentration measured ranged from 2.2 to 6.6 ppM. These concentrations could build up in poorly ventilated air volumes such as inside closets next to walls with UFFI.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5250738
• Report Number(s): CONF-820627-7; ON: DE82017440
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
BUILDINGS
COLLOIDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISPERSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOAMS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MONITORING
POLLUTION
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
THERMAL INSULATION
TRACE AMOUNTS
UREA-FORMALDEHYDE FOAMS