Nature of, and the Formaldehyde off-Gassing Characteristics of, Urea-Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI). Final Report to the Canadian Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs: Product Safety Branch

摘要

This report is divisible into the following four sections that pertain to the nature, application, and performance of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins and foams in regard to their formaldehyde outgassing characteristics: elements of basic chemistry that affect hydrolysis and stability; pertinent experimental findings of several studies on the release of formaldehyde from urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI); studies that model the diffusion of formaldehyde through drywall and correlate the rate of formaldehyde emission with the air exchange rate and the concentration of formaldehyde; and, viability of materials and equipment for the controlled production of UFFI. Results indicate that UFFI is a complex and intrinsically unstable material that releases formaldehyde over long-time periods. Even the best foams available in the US, prepared from low formaldehyde resins according to eight different manufacturers' specifications, have abundant potential for long-term or chronic release of formaldehyde. At the present time it is not possible to state that UFFI is a material whose long-term formaldehyde release characteristics can be adequately controlled or predicted. (ERA citation 07:061988)