I have built and installed a headboard in the bedroom. The material I chose for the construction was MDF. Now I notice a strong smell in the bedroom, which led me to search for information about this (very silly to build first and then search).
I found some older thread here in the forum about this, but I wasn't really satisfied with the answers in the thread.
Is there someone who can help me determine if I should throw out the construction now? Possibly paint the untreated parts. Or should I take it easy and peacefully continue sleeping with the headboard behind the wall?
I found some older thread here in the forum about this, but I wasn't really satisfied with the answers in the thread.
Is there someone who can help me determine if I should throw out the construction now? Possibly paint the untreated parts. Or should I take it easy and peacefully continue sleeping with the headboard behind the wall?
Short version:
Wear a mask when handling the material. Ventilate out as much construction dust as possible. And don't worry more about it.
Long version:
Yes, MDF is harmful to health. Specifically, the formaldehyde found in MDF. But, like everything else in life, it's about the levels you're exposed to.
MDF sold in Europe has certain restrictions on how much formaldehyde can be released, and most manufacturers are well below these limits.
When I started building my MDF wardrobe, I googled a bit and found a study estimating that if formaldehyde emissions were higher than allowed, and if it involved a relatively large amount of material, and if one stayed in the room constantly for two years (emissions are worst at the beginning), that is, 24 hours a day for 730 days, then about 0.01% of people would get cancer.
What I took from that was that if one had legal emission levels and if one left the room occasionally, there were worse things to worry about. I built my wardrobe in MDF.
Note! Formaldehyde is in almost all building materials. A bit more in most things that have glue, like MDF and chipboard, but also in pure wood and the food you eat. So you will never get a completely formaldehyde-free home, no matter what you do.
I am not worried about the health risks of MDF. Would MDF be the first thing I would eat during a zombie apocalypse? No. Do I sleep well with some MDF in the room? Yes.
What you should be worried about, however, is the dust that arises during processing. It irritates the airways quite a bit and is hazardous to health. So respiratory protection is a must in my opinion.
If you search in English, there is some information available, but it's difficult to find info that matches real-life scenarios. However, you can find a lot of opinions (like my post is!) from both camps, as well as some sensational journalism from tabloids like Aftonbladet.
Wear a mask when handling the material. Ventilate out as much construction dust as possible. And don't worry more about it.
Long version:
Yes, MDF is harmful to health. Specifically, the formaldehyde found in MDF. But, like everything else in life, it's about the levels you're exposed to.
MDF sold in Europe has certain restrictions on how much formaldehyde can be released, and most manufacturers are well below these limits.
When I started building my MDF wardrobe, I googled a bit and found a study estimating that if formaldehyde emissions were higher than allowed, and if it involved a relatively large amount of material, and if one stayed in the room constantly for two years (emissions are worst at the beginning), that is, 24 hours a day for 730 days, then about 0.01% of people would get cancer.
What I took from that was that if one had legal emission levels and if one left the room occasionally, there were worse things to worry about. I built my wardrobe in MDF.
Note! Formaldehyde is in almost all building materials. A bit more in most things that have glue, like MDF and chipboard, but also in pure wood and the food you eat. So you will never get a completely formaldehyde-free home, no matter what you do.
I am not worried about the health risks of MDF. Would MDF be the first thing I would eat during a zombie apocalypse? No. Do I sleep well with some MDF in the room? Yes.
What you should be worried about, however, is the dust that arises during processing. It irritates the airways quite a bit and is hazardous to health. So respiratory protection is a must in my opinion.
If you search in English, there is some information available, but it's difficult to find info that matches real-life scenarios. However, you can find a lot of opinions (like my post is!) from both camps, as well as some sensational journalism from tabloids like Aftonbladet.
Thanks for the response. It's the smell that intruded that triggered the sense of unease.
I thought there was a bit of a lack of information about the health aspect.
I'm still considering painting all the edges in hopes of getting rid of the smell.
I thought there was a bit of a lack of information about the health aspect.
I'm still considering painting all the edges in hopes of getting rid of the smell.
T Trunk said:Short version:
Use a mask when processing the material. Ventilate out as much construction dust as possible. And don't worry about it anymore.
Long version:
Yes, MDF is dangerous for health. Specifically, the formaldehyde found in MDF. But, as with everything else in life, it depends on the levels you're exposed to.
MDF sold in Europe has certain restrictions on how much formaldehyde can be released, and most manufacturers are well below these.
When I started building my MDF wardrobe, I did some googling and found a study that estimated if formaldehyde emissions were higher than allowed and it involved a relatively large amount of material and if one stayed in the room constantly for two years (emissions are worst at the start), i.e. 24 hours a day for 730 days, then about 0.01% of people would get cancer.
What I took from that was if you had legal emission levels and if you left the room occasionally, there were worse things to worry about. I built my wardrobe in MDF.
Note! Formaldehyde is pretty much in all building materials. A bit more in most things with glue, like MDF and chipboard, but also in pure wood and the food you eat. So you'll never have a completely formaldehyde-free home no matter what you do.
I am not worried about the health risks of MDF. Would MDF be the first thing I'd eat in a zombie apocalypse? No. Do I sleep well with some MDF in the room? Yes.
What you should be worried about, however, is the dust that arises when processing. It irritates the airways quite a lot and is hazardous to health. So respiratory protection is a must in my opinion.
If you search in English, there's some information, but it's difficult to find info that matches real-world scenarios. However, you can find a lot of opinions (like my post!) from both camps as well as some sensationalist journalism from tabloids like Aftonbladet.
Click here to reply