RESPIRATORY RESPONSE TO FORMALDEHYDE AND OFF-GAS OF UREA FORMALDEHYDE FOAM INSULATION

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 131  (9) , 1061-1065
Abstract
In 18 subjects, 9 of whom had previously complained of various nonrespiratory adverse effects from the urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) in their homes, pulmonary function was assessed before and after exposure in a laboratory. On separate occasions formaldehyde, 1 ppm and UFFI off-gas yielding a formaldehyde concentration of 1.2 ppm, were delivered to each subject in an environmental chamber for 90 min and a fume hood for 30 min, respectively. None of the measures of pulmonary function used (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s or maximal midexpiratory flow rate) showed any clinically or statistically significant response to the exposure either immediately after or 8 h after its beginning. There were no statistically significant differences between the responses of the group that had previously complained of adverse effects and of the group that had not. There was no evidence that either formaldehyde or UFFI off-gas operates as a lower airway allergen or important bronchospastic irritant in this heterogeneous population.