I had heard, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, that people housed in trailers supplied by FEMA for temporary housing got sick because of exposure to MDF.
I was working on a painting and just pulled out a sheet of MDF and I realized I always have sheets of MDF stored in my studio.
Does anyone know how the people got sick? Is there any hazard in keeping MDF stored in my condo (my studio is a converted master bedroom)?
I know it’s nasty stuff. They won’t cut in at Home Depot (carcinogenic). But that’s dust. Just having pieces lying around?
I use formaldyhyde free 1/4" but haven’t found clean 1/8" sheets.
I hope not. I dont think it would make you sick, it wouldnt be available for sale, though big business doesnt seem that concerned with other peoples safety. Might be an idea to check the MSDS of the stuff.
P.S it makes unreal templates, very fast to modify.
i work in a place that makes mdf and particle board, when you think about the process refining wood into a fibre then gluing it all together and pressing it into a board you will realise that it does have glues fungicides etc etc in it.as for dust i think even normal wood dust is bad for you.but having board lying around id say shouldn’t be that much of a problem.as far as i know most places have fomaldahyde emmeson limits so that shouldnt be too much of an issue.i think the main problem is sensitization to some of the glues or whatnot but i doubt youd get that from board laying around.
if i had to guess id say the ppl who got sick were sensitized to something in the board allready.
but i am just guessing, if the mdf were made in china for example where there are less emession laws who knows what could be in them.
incase you are wondering about sensatization its an exposure level that makes your body react to what ever it is, once you get sensatized you have extremly low tolerance and as soon as your body detects a small amount it will react in some way(respritory system giving asthma like systems, tight chest etc).not fatal more a pain, if you stay away from what it is you are fine.but can be bad if your lively hood involves working with that product as you are effectily out of a career.
if you are concerned ask your mdf supplier for info on the products that are in the board and check the msds for them.
the FEMA issue was that although formaldehyde standards are very stringent, considerably higher than 10,20 and 30 years ago, those standards are set for testing in very moderate
climate and with adequate ventilation. If you start testing
trailers in Louisiana that have had no ventilation in high heat then the PPM starts to go through the roof, so to speak. There was nothing unusual about those trailers and the mfg was a very reputable company adhering to all the codes.
If your a chemical virgin without decades of direct exposure to things like resin, acetone, gasoline as an all purpose solvent, benzene in glues, asbestos, or residing in a trailer, then by all reason start overreacting.
As far as I know, outgasing takes place with heat and pressure while cutting. Those trailers outgas in the hot weather. Some people have greater sensitivity than others.
My previous info was partly correct and based off a ‘nightline’ or similar TV special I saw on this over a year ago, where the trailer mfg and workers were interviewed. It appears, in truth, that some of the trailers had
some problems, a small percentage that were making people sick. Seems that some of the suppliers to the trailer mfg. under the pressure to build the large # the govt. had ordered
were not baking/outgassing some of their wood and glued up items. Consequently the outgassing was a problem in some trailers. Other trailers with no special problems were registering higher PPM’s due to heat and nonventilation.
So its not a specific problem or hazard with trailer life
nowadays, more a problem with the large # the govt had ordered up, and the shortcuts suppliers,etc were making to meet the demand.
Consequently the outgassing was a problem in some trailers. Other trailers with no special problems were registering higher PPM’s due to heat and nonventilation.
So its not a specific problem or hazard with trailer life
I’ve worked in an architectural production shop that used a lot of that material and have to say, at the end of the day, workers leaving the shop look anemic.
One good test is to go to a mobile home sales lot on a hot day and walk inside one of the units and imagine falling asleep breathing that air.
If I do have to use MDF these days, I have to completely vacuum the shop and don’t store parts anymore. I give it away or throw them out.