Formaldehyde in the atmosphere of danish homes. Formaldehyd i indeluft i danske boliger.

Reports 100 measurements of formaldehyde content of the indoor atmospheres of 25 rooms in 23 dwellings, mainly in new or recent one-family houses with varying quantities of particle board. The formaldehyde content in the indoor atmosphere averaged 0.63 mg per cubic metre of air with a range from 0.08 to 2.24. concentrations in two rooms were higher than permitted uppervalues for workshops (1.2), in 17 rooms the values were higher than a calculated value for long-term exposure (0.4) and in eight rooms the values were lower than this. All the values were higher than the recommended values for outdoor air of 0.03 mgper cubic metre. Newly built dwellings had the highest formaldehyde concentrations decreasing with increasing age of the building and with increasing rates of ventilation. Suggest action programme with proposals for temporary and permanent public health measures.