Urea Formaldehyde
Although I did my best to search for information about urea formaldehyde on ToxNet, I had a challenging time finding significant findings. After conducting additional searches on different databases, I found a trend across research dates, most of which were in the 1980s. Most research has focused on urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). The major health effects associated to UFFI exposure include upper and lower respiratory tract disease as well as cancer. The reaction set off by the combination of urea and formaldehyde seem to release free formaldehyde into our environment, easily exposing those who come in contact. In addition to the previously mentioned health effects, others include dyspnea, headache, rhinitis and eye irritation; cough, colds, rash and malaise.
Norman, G. R., & Newhouse, M. T. (1986). Health effects of urea formaldehyde foam insulation: Evidence of causation. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 134, 733-738. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1492426/pdf/cmaj00115-0047.pdf.
Bleach
In conducting some research on ToxNet, it is not surprising to find out that the health effects associated with bleach exposure are mainly due to inhalation. One of the most significant health effects was asthma, particularly non-allergic asthma and non-allergic adult onset asthma. In Matulonga et. al.m, (2016), this was researched and most commonly found in individuals who use bleach within their weekly household cleaning routine. For those who didn't show allergic sensitization (immune system response to a substance), there was higher positive association with asthma-like symptoms and chronic cough. Instead of using bleach within my home, I use safer and natural cleaning products, such as vinegar based homemade cleaners.
Matulonga, B., Rava, M., Siroux, V., Bernard, A., Dumas, O., Pin, I., . . . Moual, N. L. (2016). Women using bleach for home cleaning are at increased risk of non-allergic asthma. Respiratory Medicine, 117, 264-271. doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2016.06.019
Hi Nalleli,
ReplyDeleteI too found similar information regarding UFFI and Bleach. I had to a little research about UFFI and I was surprised to read the following:
In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the sale of UFFI in the United States in 1982, and shortly thereafter a law prohibiting the sale of urea formaldehyde was enacted. In April 1983, the U.S. Court of Appeal struck down the law because there was no substantial evidence clearly linking UFFI to health complaints. UFFI is not widely used in the USA today.
I stopped using bleach once I found out I was pregnant I use vinegar instead and I find the results with vinegar better than bleach.