Debra Lynn Dadd

Particle/Press Board: Will it fully out gas and become safe?

QUESTION:

hi,

we're remodeling my house, and my husband put some "sound board" on the studs under the dry wall to help with sound reduction. this "sound board" smells HORRIFFIC! it seems very similar to particle/press board. we're hoping that placing the dry wall over it, would essentially seal it, so the smell/toxicity cannot come out. however, not sure if that theory will work. or, are considering getting rid of the sound board all together.

if, in fact, this sound board is similar in composition to press board/particle board....do these types of materials EVENTUALLY FULLY OUTGAS? or is this something that does not, and needs to be 'sealed' with some sort of sealant?

knowing the answer to that question, would help us to determine how to proceed with this project.

and real quick, on the topic of press board: if i have a press board dresser from ikea...will this eventually outgas? (I've had these drawers for about 3-4 years..and my it still stinks!) my clothes left in it, wreak of the formaldehyde (ick!). since i wear primarily 100% cotton, are my natural fabrics absorbing the formaldehyde from the drawers??!! :O

would appreciate your thoughts..
thank you.
wt

POSTED BY WT :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 10/10/2006 4:56 AM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

First, "particleboard" and "pressboard" are two different things.

Particleboard is made of wood shavings held together with a formaldehyde-based resin that outgasses. You can see the wood shavings throughout the board on both the flat side and the cut side and it has an odor--strong when new.

Pressboard is made from smaller wood fibers that are held together by a process using pressure and steam. It is a thin, brown board, with one smooth side and one textured side. It comes in a solid sheet and perforated with holes to make "peg board". Pressboard is completely odor-free and I consider it to be a nontoxic product.

It sounds like what you have installed is particleboard, or a similar product.

Formaldehyde offgasses from particleboard until there is no more formaldehyde to offgas. It is very intense when the particleboard is new and decreases over time. I read that the half life of formaldehyde in particleboard is three to six years, but can still contribute to indoor air pollution 12 to 24 years after installation (Spectrum--Newsletter of the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, Vol 26, No. 1). This seems reasonable to me. How long any given installation takes to full outgas depends on the conditions. More heat will make it outgas faster.

There is a product which can be applied to particleboard to block fumes, made by AFM Enterprises. I used this product many years ago with success, when I purchased a table that I thought was solid wood, which actually contained one piece of particleboard about 1' x 3' one inch thick. I applied the vapor barrier finish and was able to use the table with no problem.

However, I'm not sure I would recommend this product for large amounts of particleboard, such as a subfloor or wall of cabinets. The particleboard still outgasses and the fumes have nowhere to go except to back up behind the finish. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with using this product in this way.

There are particleboards now that are formaldehyde-free and also boards made with agricultural wastes (such as wheat straw) that have binders of low toxicity. One of these might be a better choice than what you are using.

Debra :-)

COMMENTS:

Safecoat Safe Seal has been used successfully by people sensitive to chemicals for over a quarter of a century. Safe Seal actually reduces emissions up to 95%. Historically, this has been acceptable for even the most chemically sensitive individuals.

Debra had a question about whether or not the emissions would build up behind the finish and break it down over time. No, they don't. The emissions are degrading while they slowly evaporate. The sealer continues to provide relief until it is removed. The larger the area the bigger the emission challenge for sure, but Safe Seal has been used in hundreds of similar situations very successfully. As I mentioned, this emission reduction historically has solved the pollution problem.

Jay Watts
AFM

POSTED BY JAY WATTS :: WWW.SAFECOATPAINT.COM :: WWW.SAFECOATPAINT.COM :: CA USA :: 10/16/2006 5:05 PM

I installed a heat pump system furnace in February 2008. It is set upon a box built of particle board. I did not notice an odor this last winter or with air conditioning, but starting in October when I turned the furnace on I'm getting a terrible suffocating odor when it runs, but not every time it runs. I feel nauseous and get a headache and lightheadness that goes away if I go outside.

I checked the basement for odors, nothing there, but wood seemed to smell funny and I'm wondering if the particleboard is the cause.

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: Could be.

POSTED BY KATHLEEN :: NEBRASKA USA :: 10/28/2008 7:21 AM

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