Factors That Influence Formaldehyde Air Levels in Mobile Homes

Two projects were conducted to study formaldehyde concentrations in air and various factors affecting those concentrations in mobile homes. Testing was conducted in new, unoccupied mobile homes over a 2-month period immediately following manufacture. Five homes were monitored during the fall and early winter of 1980 (Series 1), and four different homes in a separate location were tested during the early fall of 1981 (Series 2). The primary objective was to determine whether there was a relationship between formaldehyde emission characteristics of products as determined by product emission tests and formaldehyde concentrations in mobile homes containing such products. Testing results demonstrated a relationship between the formaldehyde emissions from the paneling and particleboard decking used in mobile homes and the formaldehyde concentration measured in the homes. Other factors affecting the formaldehyde concentration were indoor temperature, the infiltration rate, and the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. A decay factor was postulated but not demonstrated. The study concludes that formaldehyde emittors and absorbers in a mobile home exist in a complex environment subject to manipulation from many external influences.

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