Amid all the noise about chemicals in the home, these are three scientific, data-backed ways to reduce formaldehyde in the home. Once you’ve understood how to assess formaldehyde in your home and why testing machines are unreliable, here’s how you can act to reduce formaldehyde. Method 1: Open a window, since outdoor air has virtually […]
Tag: Formaldehyde
Off-gassing: 3 Things You Need to Know About Formaldehyde (Part Two)
An important question about formaldehyde is how long it takes for formaldehyde to off-gas in new homes and new furniture–how long will it take for levels to get back to normal? The best data I’ve seen suggests formaldehyde takes about two years to off-gas back to normal levels. Why We Need Real-World Tests When […]
Formaldehyde Detectors are Fake: 3 Things to Know About Formaldehyde (Part 1)
Lots of companies will sell you formaldehyde detectors, but a simple test you can do at home will reveal they are fakes. Formaldehyde detectors routinely react to lots of common gases that are not formaldehyde, making the numbers basically impossible to interpret. Given that unfortunate fact, here’s what you can do to test formaldehyde in […]
Plants Have No Detectable Air Purification Effect
Despite the popular conception that plants are purifiers, plants have no detectable effect on particle or gas pollutants, according to the latest test data from real-world homes. Belief that plants are effective air purifiers is widespread. Arguably the most frequently cited evidence is the NASA study on plants. It feels scientific, authoritative. This page cites it, this page, this page. […]
Is Asbestos a Problem in China?
Asbestos is a commonly used material in China that may be more dangerous than formaldehyde. So why do so few people talk about asbestos in China? One day a few years ago, a Chinese friend of mine asked me about jiaquan (甲醛). “Huh?” I had to look it up. Turns out it means “formaldehyde.” At that point, […]
Can Activated Carbon Remove Formaldehyde?
Can activated carbon remove formaldehyde? I wrote about my earlier tests showing that carbon can reduce VOCs from cigarette smoke. I also wrote about who actually needs activated carbon (hint: not everyone). But here I test whether carbon can filter out formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a big deal in China. I’ve found most of my Chinese […]