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National Library ToxNet

Urea-Formaldehyde - Commonly found in household materials. It is used for insulation and as an adhesive. Exposure to urea-formaldehyde can cause increased cancer risk when exposures are high. Common symptoms due to exposure are respiratory irritation, wheezing, coughing, watery eyes, rash, allergic reactions, and so on.

Bleach - Although it is technically not considered corrosive or toxic, exposures to bleach can cause a number health effects. It can cause irritation to the eyes, mouth, lung, and skin. It can also burn human skin (internally if ingested, and externally if it comes in contact with the skin).

The more concerning product of the 2 is urea-formaldehyde because it is used within the home and used within buildings. I personally can decide to use or not use bleach, and if I do, I can limit my exposure to it. The urea-formaldehyde composes the makeup of the home. Therefore, technically you could be exposed at anytime within the home.

Comments

  1. Caitlin WintonSeptember 23, 2018 at 1:32 PM

    Hi Jordan,

    I agree with you that of the two chemicals urea-formaldehyde is more concerning because it can be in your home or other buildings. Most people spend a majority of their day inside so they could be constantly exposed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2018 at 3:11 PM

    One of the material in one of our class mentioned that our bedding expose us to toxicity. You are right about urea formaldehyde causes more concern since I mean where am I going to go rent/buy a house and say can you make sure it doesn't contain urea formaldehyde...

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 23, 2018 at 5:49 PM

    Hi Jordan,

    I agree that not knowing which products the urea-formaldehyde is in creates concern. At least with paint that I recently bought for my house, I was able to choose one without volatile organic compounds, since they are not good to inhale, but with urea-formaldehyde it seems difficult to know how to avoid it.

    ReplyDelete

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