UFFI: Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation - What is UFFI?

Article by: Gil Strachan

Q. I'm considering purchasing an older home , Essential Guide to Choosing the Right HDTV Antenna in the Trenton area, and the listing indicates UFFI (Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation). What is UFFI, and should I be concerned? I've heard that UFFI is a health hazard.

A. Formaldehyde is a relatively inexpensive chemical which is used in many manufacturing processes. It is an acrid, colorless gas, , Essential Guide to Choosing the Right HDTV Antenna which, at concentrations lower than 0.05 ppm, may have no detectable odor. Sources of formaldehyde in a house , Spring Into Action: Home Maintenance could be numerous, and include particle board, tobacco smoke, gas , The most important decision you will ever make in roofing your home appliances, new fabrics and aerosol products. , "Green Living" For An Allegy and Asthma-Friendly Environment Is is also a by-product of combustion and is produced by the operation of furnaces, fireplaces and wood , What was wrong with her livingroom? stoves. Formaldehyde is common in the outside , Window Air Conditionar Rentals air; it is found in automobile exhaust fumes and is produced by various industrial and manufacturing operations.

UFFI was a low-density foam prepared at the site, and pumped into wall , Shag area rugs, one of the most popular floor coverings around cavities, where it expanded and looked and felt like shaving cream until it hardened. It is usually white , Little Giant Ladder Common Uses or cream colored, although it was sometimes tinted blue. , Practical Home Improvement - Soundproofing Techniques UUFI releases formaldehyde as it cures, and with age and degradation.

More than 100,000 Candian homes , An ExtraOrdinary Is Easily Within Reach Of Virtually Every Homeowner were insulated with UFFI in the 1970's, as a retrofit insulation, primarily in response to the preceived energy , Quality Composite Decking crisis. Better insulation meant less air , Dishwasher Secrets - Make It Clean Perfectly exchange between the chemically laden inside , The World of Kitchen Cabinets and the fresh outside, , Air Conditioners, What Could Be More Important Than A Good Brand Name which aggravated the situation. Still, incidences of fatigue, eye, nose and throat irritations were ONLY SLIGHTLY HIGHER in homes , Essential Guide to Choosing the Right HDTV Antenna with UFFI than those without, but the fear and suspicion was enough to cause Ottawa to ban the use of the insulation.

It became known that levels of formaldehyde decrease rapidly after installation, especially in properly ventilated homes. , Memories in Wood: Knowing Closets Subsequent testing has shown that the highest levels of formaldehyde exist in homes , Saline versus Chlorine – Which is Best For Your Hot Tub or Pool? with brand new carpeting, with or without UFFI!

Following a short curing period, the presence of UFFI does NOT affect the amount of formaldehyde in the indoor air. , Electric Pressure Washers While not statistically significant, the homes , The World of Kitchen Cabinets tested were found on average to have formaldehyde levels slightly BELOW that of homes , Electric Pressure Washers of similar ages without UFFI!

UFFI was only temporarily banned in the US, and has been used in Europe over the last 30 years, where it was never banned and is considered one of the better retrofit insulations.

CONCLUSION: No correlation has been found between formaldehyde gas , Finding The Perfect Faucet For Your Home and health problems, however it is difficult to draw definative conclusions concerning the exposure-response relationship for formaldehyde irritancy, due to the scarcity of information , Comments From Your Vacuum Cleaner available from reliable clinical studies.

The greater concern for most enlightened buyers has been, that with the stigma attached to a "UFFI house", resale value might be affected; but the concern is quickly diminishing as recollections of "UFFI-mania" fade into history...

Copyright Gil Strachan - All rights reserved.

Gil Strachan is a professional home , Green Star Juicer GS-3000 - Tempting Your Taste-Buds inspector, representing Electrospec Home , Essential Guide to Choosing the Right HDTV Antenna Inspection Services in east-central Ontario, Canada since 1994. Visit http://www.allaroundthehouse.com to learn more about home , Retractable Awnings - Top 10 Reasons to Invest in Retractable Awnings inspections.

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