Bamboo Flooring: Formaldehyde and Health Concerns

Most manufacturers of bamboo flooring are environmentally conscious, and voluntarily limit their use of formaldehyde based glues and finishes.

Bamboo flooring is rapidly becoming one of the more popular alternatives to hardwood floors, but some critics routinely raise the issue of the formaldehyde that is used in the glues and finishes in bamboo flooring. Back in the early 1970s, formaldehyde fumes came to national attention as a health hazard associated with urea formaldehyde foam insulation. Urea formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of bamboo flooring, and the specter of the 1970s concerns about ‘sick building syndrome’ occasionally raises its head with concern to bamboo floors.

Why Formaldehyde is a Concern
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound – which, in plain language, means that it becomes a gas at room temperature. Products that are made using urea formaldehyde give off fumes for a long time after installation. Those fumes can cause watery eyes, burning in the nose, throat and eyes, nausea, headaches, wheezing, skin rashes and other allergic reactions. People vary in their reactions to formaldehyde – the level of formaldehyde that may cause a severe allergic reaction in one person may not affect others at all.

Formaldehyde is normally present in the air at levels of approximately .03 parts per million (ppm). Many household and construction products use formaldehyde in processing or finishing. These products include flooring, wood used for subfloors, shelving and other particleboard products, furniture, carpeting and draperies. These products release small amounts of formaldehyde into the air as they age and dry.

The amount of formaldehyde released into the air varies with the temperature and humidity of a room, and decreases as the product ages.

Bamboo Floors and Formaldehyde Concerns
Because many bamboo floors are made with glues and finishes containing formaldehyde, some critics of bamboo flooring’s ‘green’ reputation charge that they pose a potential health hazard. Most manufacturers of bamboo flooring are environmentally conscious, and voluntarily limit their use of formaldehyde based glues and finishes. To be on the safe side, look for bamboo floor that is certified as either formaldehyde free, or that emits less than .03 ppm formaldehyde. In addition, you can lessen the possibility of formaldehyde being emitted by choosing a laminated bamboo floor, and choosing non-formaldehyde based glues and finishes for your new floors.






 

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