Respiratory response to formaldehyde and off-gas of urea formaldehyde foam insulation.
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 part per million (ppm), and UFFI off-gas yielding a formaldehyde concentration of 1.2 ppm, were delivered to each subject in an environmental chamber for 90 minutes and a fume hood for 30 minutes respectively. None of the measures of pulmonary function used (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second or maximal midexpiratory flow rate) showed any clinically or statistically significant response to the exposure either immediately after or 8 hours 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.
D000485:Allergens; D001273:Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants; D008450:Maximal Midexpiratory Flow Rate; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008688:Methacholine Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014508:Urea / Q000633:toxicity*; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000187:drug effects
D000485:Allergens; D007509:Irritants; D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D005557:Formaldehyde; C028278:urea formaldehyde foam; D014508:Urea