Can outgassing from desks and chairs really be detrimental to health?

Question

Is this all just disultory scaremongering promulgated by the paranoid, or can the formaldehyde, toluene, etc. chemicals that are regularly outgassed from computer desks, for instance, actually enter the body in sufficient quantities to have neurotoxicity and cancer elevating risks?

Answer 1

Once upon a time "out gassing" and "Indoor Air pollution" were not issues or part of out lexicon.  We solved one problem and created another...

In our early efforts to conserve energy we insulated our homes and sealed up every draft causing crack. Although this saved energy it also greatly reduced air exchange.

Reducing air exchange allows products of out gassing to  become trapped and build up concentrations.

So to to answer your question,  YES.   If concentrations of chemicals are allowed to build up or are in sufficient quantity there  can be health impacts.

Also in the past few decades we have become increasingly educated about chemical and there effects upon us.   If you look at acceptable concentration levels of time you will find that regulations dealing with these concentrations in many cases have become stricter.     (Acceptable concentration levels have been reduced in many cases as we gain greater understanding of long term exposure)

The good news is that many products which outgass do so at a decreasing rate from there date of manufacture. The glues dry and the volatiles evaporate.   (A good example is that new car smell or a freshly painted room)  These are examples of rapid decay of outgassing levels.

The bad news. many products don't stop out gassing

for quite sometime or some increase with age as products of breakdown (such as being exposed to heat).  With pressure to save energy , air exchange rates may be reduced in buildings allowing these small concentrations to build up.

Exposure to chemical can cause Acute and/or Chronic effects. These depend upon the chemical in question and the concentration and duration of the exposures.

Some people can develope sensitivities to chemicals which trigger allergic reactions upon further exposures while others may not appear to be effected.

So no this isn't paranoia.