We get questions a lot about low-VOC vs. no-VOC, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, and other similar human health issues. I can tell you, it is something that we take very seriously here at Sustainable Flooring and anyone who claims that the human health issue is not part and parcel to being an environmentally friendly and sustainable company would be incorrect in our eyes. Formaldehyde is an “organic compound” (the “O” and “C” in VOC; the “V” stands for volatile) and what most people don’t realize is that there are two forms of formaldehyde: phenol formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde. Both their sources can include pressed wood products (plywood paneling, particleboard, fiberboard), furniture made from pressed wood, urea formaldehyde foam insulation, combustion sources and tobacco smoke, some textiles, and glues similar to the ones that hold the aforementioned items together. Formaldehyde gets released from these products through a process called off-gassing.
Now, the two different forms of formaldehyde have very different consequences. Phenol formaldehyde is found almost everywhere around you and it is not considered dangerous in those everyday levels. It is extremely difficult and costly to get rid of completely, and therefore is not of major consequence when talking about indoor air quality. Anyone who claims to have a “formaldehyde free” product probably doesn’t really mean formaldehyde free because it is almost impossible to get a testing chamber completely free of this phenol formaldehyde. Since it is still found in trace amounts everywhere around you and your home, the label of LOW-VOC is used and not NO-VOC for most products. Urea formaldehyde is the other kind and is known to cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, wheezing and coughing, fatigue, skin rash and other severe allergic reactions; and finally, it’s a carcinogen. Sustainable Flooring has taken steps in every product it makes to ensure that there is zero urea formaldehyde contained in every ingredient in the material. It is not just a Sustainable thing to do, but also the right thing.