Khi tìm hiểu về ván gỗ công nghiệp, nội thất hoặc các tiêu chuẩn vật liệu xây dựng, người tiêu dùng thường bắt gặp một thuật ngữ được nhắc đến rất nhiều: Formaldehyde.

Trên bao bì sản phẩm, trong các tài liệu kỹ thuật hay các chứng nhận chất lượng, những ký hiệu như E1, E0 hay Low Formaldehyde xuất hiện ngày càng phổ biến. Tuy nhiên, phần lớn người tiêu dùng chỉ biết rằng formaldehyde là một chất “không tốt cho sức khỏe” mà chưa thực sự hiểu nó là gì, xuất hiện từ đâu và tại sao lại được quan tâm đến vậy.

What is formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is a colorless chemical compound with a characteristic pungent odor and is volatile at room temperature.

In fact, formaldehyde is not a foreign substance. It exists naturally in the environment in very small concentrations and is also created in many industrial processes to produce materials, chemicals and consumer products.

Thanks to its good bonding properties, formaldehyde is used to produce many types of industrial glues used in the woodworking industry, especially products such as:

• MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
• HDF (High Density Fiberboard)
• Particle Board
• Plywood

These glues help bond wood fibers or wood chips into boards with high strength and stability.

If formaldehyde is so commonly used, where is the problem?

What needs to be understood is that formaldehyde itself is not unusual in the materials industry.

The problem lies in the amount of residual formaldehyde and the product's ability to emit after being put into use.

Trong quá trình sử dụng, một phần formaldehyde có thể tiếp tục được giải phóng từ vật liệu vào không khí xung quanh. Hiện tượng này được gọi là “off-gassing” hay phát thải khí.

If emissions are controlled at low levels and meet strict standards, the product is considered safer for the environment.

Conversely, products that use low-quality materials or adhesive systems may emit higher levels, affecting indoor air quality.

Where can formaldehyde appear in the house?

Many people think that formaldehyde is only found in engineered wood panels. In fact, this substance can appear in many different materials and products such as:

• Wardrobe
• Kitchen cabinets
• Decorative shelves
• Laminate Flooring
• Wooden door
• Paint and surface coating
• Glue
• Carpets
• Some fabrics and interior decoration materials

It is worth noting that when multiple emission sources coexist in an enclosed space, the total amount of formaldehyde in the air can increase significantly.

How to recognize the effects of formaldehyde?

Users do not always recognize it immediately.

However, in environments with high emission levels, some people may experience symptoms such as:

• Stinging eyes
• Dry throat
• Respiratory tract irritation
• Headache
• Tired
• Allergy
• Difficulty sleeping

These symptoms are often confused with the effects of weather, stress or other causes in daily life.

Why Are Emission Standards Gaining More Attention?

In the past, consumers often chose materials based on price, design or durability. However, current trends are changing as health and indoor air quality become one of the most important criteria.

That is why formaldehyde emission control standards such as E1, E0 or international certifications are increasingly focused on in the interior materials industry.

These standards help evaluate the amount of formaldehyde a product may emit during use, thereby providing a clearer basis for consumers to choose appropriate materials.

What Matters Is Not Whether It Exists, but How Much

One of the most common misconceptions is that a product or material is completely formaldehyde-free.

In fact, what modern industry is aiming for is not complete elimination, but low and safe emission control according to recognized standards.

Therefore, when choosing interior materials, the important question is not:

“Sản phẩm này có formaldehyde hay không?”

Instead:

“Sản phẩm này phát thải formaldehyde ở mức nào và có được kiểm định theo tiêu chuẩn đáng tin cậy hay không?”

Air Quality Starts with the Materials We Choose

Every day, we spend 80% to 90% of our time in closed spaces such as home, office or school. That means indoor air quality has a direct impact on each person's quality of life.

Understanding formaldehyde properly is not to worry about all engineered wood products, but to have a more complete view of the factors that are affecting your living environment.

Because in the end, an ideal living space not only needs to be beautiful, durable and comfortable, but also needs to be built from quality-controlled materials right from the inside.

Bài viết Formaldehyde là gì? Vì sao chất này luôn được nhắc đến khi lựa chọn vật liệu nội thất? đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày MH - MY HAPPINESS.

You have just moved into a newly completed apartment or just installed new cabinets, beds, tables and chairs. The space looks clean, modern and smells of new materials. But after just a few days, many people began to experience symptoms such as burning eyes, dry throat, headaches or difficulty sleeping. Many people believe that the cause comes from changing weather, work pressure or the body has not adapted to the new environment.

However, in many cases, these signs can originate from the air inside the house itself.

Hiện tượng “off-gassing” là gì?

Off-gassing is the term used to refer to the process by which indoor materials release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and residual gases into the surrounding air.

This process often occurs in many types of interior materials such as:

• Engineered Wood Panels

• Paints and surface coatings

• Glue

• Carpets

• Curtain

• Some other interior decoration materials

Among them, formaldehyde is one of the substances of most concern because of its ability to be emitted from bonding glues used in the production of engineered wood panels.

When the product is new, the emission rate is often higher and gradually decreases over time. However, depending on the quality of the material, the type of glue used and environmental conditions, this process can take from months to years.

Common symptoms

Not everyone reacts the same way to airborne emissions. However, some commonly reported symptoms include:

Stinging and watery eyes

This is a fairly common reaction when the eyes are exposed to irritants in the air. Many people feel dry, itchy or red eyes even though they don't use electronic devices too much.

Dry throat and respiratory discomfort

You may feel a dry throat when you wake up, often have to drink water, or feel uncomfortable when staying in a closed room for a long time.

Headache and fatigue

Indoor air contains high levels of pollutants that can affect alertness and concentration, causing some people to develop persistent headaches or an unexplained feeling of drowsiness.

Allergy or skin sensitivity

In people with sensitive skin, exposure to emissions from interior materials may increase allergic reactions such as itching, sneezing or skin irritation.

Difficulty sleeping

Many people believe that a new bed or new home will bring better sleep. However, if the air quality in the room is not really good, it may be difficult for the body to reach a state of complete relaxation, leading to poor sleep or frequent waking up in the middle of the night.

Not always easy to spot

One of the common misconceptions is that only products with strong odors affect air quality.

In fact, the odor level does not accurately reflect the safety level of the material. There are cases where the product no longer has a discernible odor but continues to emit compounds over a long period of time.

In other words, our nose is not a device that measures air quality.

How to minimize the risk?

Consumers can proactively protect their health by:

• Prioritize materials with clear formaldehyde emission standards.
• Require suppliers to provide inspection certificates from reputable organizations.
• Increase natural ventilation in the early stages of using new furniture.
• Limit the choice of products of unknown origin or without published technical specifications.
• Pay attention to the quality of the board core and adhesive system instead of just evaluating the finished surface.
• Air quality is also part of quality of life

When choosing furniture, consumers often spend a lot of time considering color, style or durability. However, there is an important but less visible factor: the air quality that those materials create in the home.

If symptoms such as stinging eyes, dry throat, headaches or difficulty sleeping appear after using the furniture, don't rush to assume that it's just the impact of the weather or fatigue. Sometimes, it can be a silent warning from the living environment we come into contact with every day.

Because a beautiful space is not only a place worth seeing, but also a place worth living.

Bài viết Vì sao nội thất mới thường gây cay mắt, đau đầu? đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày MH - MY HAPPINESS.

When shopping for new furniture or moving into a new house, many people are often advised that just opening the ventilation doors for a few weeks will make the unpleasant odors disappear and the space will become safer.

Therefore, many people believe that formaldehyde, one of the substances often mentioned in engineered wood products, will completely disappear after a short time.

However, the reality is not that simple.

The smell of new materials may subside after a few weeks or months, but that does not mean the formaldehyde emission process has ended.

Formaldehyde doesn't just appear in the early days

In engineered wood panel products, formaldehyde is often associated with the adhesive system used in the production process.

After the product is completed, an amount of formaldehyde will continue to be released from inside the material core to the surrounding environment through a process called "off-gassing" or gas emissions.

It is worth noting that this process does not happen over a few days or weeks and then end.

For low quality materials or the use of poorly controlled colloidal systems, emissions can last for many years with the rate decreasing over time.

In other words, formaldehyde does not disappear suddenly but is like an hourglass, continuously releasing small amounts into the air throughout the life of the product.

Why do some products emit emissions longer than others?

Not all types of engineered wood panels have the same emission levels.

The timing and rate of emissions depends on many factors, of which four are the most important.

1. Quality of glue used

Glue is the ingredient that binds wood fibers or wood chips into a complete board.

High-quality adhesive systems are often researched to reduce free formaldehyde and control emissions during use.

On the contrary, cheap glues can cause the product to continue to emit for a longer period of time and at higher levels.

This is also the reason why two boards may look identical but have a big difference in the quality of air they produce.

2. Ambient temperature

The higher the temperature, the more formaldehyde emission rate tends to increase.

In tropical climates like Vietnam, especially during the hot season, interior materials can release gases faster than in low-temperature environments.

That's why many people feel the interior smell more clearly on hot days.

3. Air humidity

Humidity is also a factor that has a significant influence on the emission process.

When the environment has high humidity, some chemical reactions in materials can take place more intensely, increasing the amount of formaldehyde released into the air.

This is especially notable in areas with hot and humid climates all year round.

4. Product structure and design

A furniture product includes not only the surface but also the core, cut edges, drilled holes and bonded areas.

These locations can become places of stronger emissions if not properly treated or completed.

Therefore, the quality of processing and overall structure of the product also contributes to determining the level of emissions during use.

No smell does not mean no emissions

This is one of the most common consumer misunderstandings.

In fact, the human ability to sense smell has certain limits. When the smell of new materials subsides, we often assume that the emissions have completely disappeared.

However, many studies show that the material can continue to release formaldehyde at low levels for long periods of time that users cannot detect by smell.

In other words, the absence of odor does not mean the absence of emissions.

What consumers should care about is not "how long will it take" but "at what level of emissions"

Instead of asking the question "How long does it take for formaldehyde to disappear?", consumers should pay attention to a more important issue:

Is the product manufactured to control emissions in the first place?

Because in reality, no material can change its quality after it has been produced.

If a board is created from good materials, modern production technology and an adhesive system that meets strict emission standards, the amount of formaldehyde emitted throughout the product life cycle will be controlled at a safer level.

On the contrary, there is no way to turn a low-quality material into a high-quality material just by waiting a few more weeks or months.

Material quality determines air quality for many years

When choosing furniture, consumers often focus on color, wood grain, scratch resistance or product price. However, there is a factor that silently accompanies the house for many years that few people pay attention to: the emission quality of the materials.

Formaldehyde is not a problem during the first few days of use. It's a story that lasts throughout the product's life cycle.

So the key is not to wait for the toxins to disappear, but to choose materials designed for low emissions from day one.

Because in the end, the quality of materials not only determines the beauty of the interior, but also determines the quality of the air that the whole family breathes every day.

Bài viết Formaldehyde có thực sự biến mất sau vài tuần? Sự thật nhiều người vẫn đang hiểu lầm đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày MH - MY HAPPINESS.