Podcast #8 - Is there really formaldehyde in my house?

Focus Fridays Ingredients Series with a Deep Dive on Formaldehyde. 

Is there Formaldehyde in your home? Chances are, the answer is yes. Listen to today's podcast to find out where it might be hiding and some ways to minimize or avoid it.

As promised, here are the other terms sometimes listed on ingredient labels formaldehyde is also known as Formalin, Formic aldehyde, Methanediol, Methanal, Methyl Aldehyde, Methylene Glycol, Methylene Oxide, Benzyl Hemiformal, 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol(bronopol), 5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3-dioxane, Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethylhlydantoin (DMDM hydantoin), Quaternium-15.

Be sure to subscribe, so we never miss a chance to connect. And come back next Tuesday, where I will give you the down-and-dirty effects of food coloring and what it does to our bodies, minds, and children.

https://www.ecocratesofamerica.com
https://www.pinterest.com/ecocratesofamerica

DISCLAIMER:
Thank you for listening to the Eco Mama podcast. Please note that this podcast's information is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is based on personal experiences and opinions. We are not licensed healthcare providers; the content should not be considered professional medical advice.

We encourage you to consult a healthcare provider before changing your diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle. The information shared on this podcast is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Furthermore, any views or opinions expressed on this podcast are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. The content is intended to be informative and enjoyable.

By listening to this podcast, you agree that the hosts, guests, or anyone associated with the Eco Mama podcast will not be held liable for any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused by the information or opinions shared on this podcast.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to continuing to share our journey toward a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle with you.

Episode Transcript

Jaime (00:37):
Hello Eco Mamas.
Happy Friday.
Welcome to another episode ofour ingredients series, where we
do a deep dive on a differentingredients every week.
This Friday just so happens tobe formaldehyde.
You might be familiar with thisterm, if you ever watched six
feet under.

(00:58):
It was a Showtime series, Whereit was all about a funeral home.
Formaldehyde is commonly knownas the chemical that is put
inside cadavers.
To help preserve the body untilit is time to be buried.
So it keeps kind of a freshsupple look on the skin and

(01:20):
keeps the smell from getting toobad as the corpse rots after.
A person dies.
So that they can have a funeral,an open casket funeral.
Most of the And then the body isburied.
And if formaldehyde lasts alittle while it doesn't preserve
forever.
But it does a good enough jobfor the purposes of why they
have it.

(01:41):
Now you might be wondering.
Why I'm talking aboutformaldehyde when this is a
podcast about ingredients andour everyday products.
Well surprise, surprise.
Formaldehyde is an ingredient inour everyday products.
It is used as a preservative.
And the products that you know,and love every day.

(02:04):
Did you know that?
Since formaldehyde is odorless.
It's not so easy to detect.
But it's still there.
Nonetheless.
In addition to the products thatI'm going to share with you,
formaldehyde is also used onfurnishings, clothing, building

(02:24):
materials.
A whole slew of things.
So it's very difficult to knowwhere it is and what it's in,
and it's rarely ever listed onthe ingredients.
Under the name formaldehyde,it's known as other things that
you might recognize more easily,but formaldehyde is kind of one
of those scary words.

(02:44):
So most manufacturers that areusing it in our products.
Are smart enough to leave thatword out.
But I will share with youshortly other names that it has
been known by.
So when I mentioned that it's onyour furnishings, formaldehyde
can be found in most newlycreated things.
As that preservatives, Imentioned, so new construction.

(03:07):
Most times we'll have it intheir finished wood products.
Flooring has it in there.
Even some fabrics will betreated with formaldehyde.
So upholstery drapery flooring,furniture cabinets.
You can find formaldehyde ortraces of it in there because
they're used in glues andpaints.
They're even used in clocks andpesticides.

(03:29):
And then what we talk about mosthere they're used in cosmetics
and detergents.
So everywhere you turn in yourhome, there's a chance that
formaldehyde was once used onthose The older, the product is
the more chance you have ofoffgassing or the formaldehyde
fading away and not being soharmful.
One of the biggest suggestions Ican make, if you're concerned

(03:51):
about formaldehyde inhaling it.
Putting it on your skinbreathing it, Which I think you
should be, is to open yourwindows as often as possible,
especially if you had newfurniture put If you are
delivered, if you've had newflooring, new carpeting.
Even new paint, unless you werevery clear about what was in the

(04:12):
paint and the primer.
If you've had drywall work doneor new insulation, all of this
open up your windows homes builtafter the 1990s.
We're super, super efficient towhere they created them.
I was like a vacuum seal.
Like the airflow was meant tostay inside the home.
And that's beneficial whenyou're trying to save on energy.

(04:34):
Okay.
So when your air conditioningruns, it doesn't leak out.
The windows are under the doors.
Same with the heater.
It stays warm in the winter.
But the downside to that is thatthe house no longer breathes, it
has no space to contract.
And compress.
So the breathing process or theexchange of air that used to
happen in homes.

(04:55):
It's very difficult to happen onits own now.
So it is our responsibility totake care of that airspace, that
indoor air quality that webreathe in every single day.
So if you're not opening up yourwindows periodically throughout
the year, It's just building inthere and you're continuing to
breathe it in.
That's the best thing that youcan do.
There's also air purifiers thatyou can get that will help

(05:16):
cleanse the air.
We have them in several rooms inour home.
We use them, especially whensomeone is sick.
We put them by the bed.
Most recently my son did havethe flu and he slept with me and
thank goodness I like survivedunscathed, but I literally, I
had an air purifier on my sideof the bed.
An air purifier on my husbandsaid it where my son slept.

(05:39):
And I didn't want him sleepingby himself because he got like
almost 104 degree fever.
And I know with higher fevers,you can.
You know, you're dealing withpossible seizures.
And so I didn't want him to bealone.
So I had him sleep with me.
We used air purifiers.
Just to help cleanse the airthat we breathe in and breathe
out.
So in the glues, I mentionedYou'll find it in a lot of the

(06:01):
compressed woods or woodcabinetry.
Not your natural woods.
And especially if you buyfurniture from the Amish, like
that is the way to go becausethey don't use chemicals.
They use real wood, like.
They're not treating thoseproducts.
I mean, it's, it's a true art,you know, they're not, they D
they don't dumb down theirfurniture with Prestwood and
manufactured stuff.
So I mentioned that it's on ourclothes too.

(06:24):
When you go to the dry cleaners.
Dry cleaners will useformaldehyde because it creates
this It relaxes all the wrinklesin your clothes and your
curtains and your comforters.
And it's just this process thatpreserves the neatness What we
should say.
So they're, they're using that.
They're applying it.
And also if you have ever boughtPants that.

(06:45):
R no iron they're wrinkled freefabrics.
Those are also treated withformaldehyde.
Again, this is an odorlesschemical, so it's really
difficult to detect.
So if it says that it iswrinkle-free, I suggest not
getting it.
And I'm not one to iron.
So I just try to keep thingshung up that might easily get
wrinkled.
Signs that you could haveformaldehyde in your home.

(07:11):
It's, it's really difficult todetect as I mentioned, but over
time, the more you're exposed toit, the sticker you can get
actually, funeral directors havevery high rate of leukemia.
So there's like this long-termcancer leukemia that they get
because of their exposure to theformaldehyde.
Formaldehyde can affect the bodyin many ways, even though you

(07:32):
may not know that it'shappening.
Over time and repeated exposure.
Or prolonged exposure.
The body will begin to repulsethe formaldehyde and it will
burn the nostrils.
Again, you can't smell it.
So you don't know what's causingyour nostrils to burn.
If formaldehyde, God forbid, hasever drank.
It can immediately like make thebody so sick that cancer starts

(07:56):
to develop.
Very very soon.
So I think we should leaveformaldehyde for the cadavers
and not for the individuals, notfor the people.
I don't think it should be usedin our products.
To preserve them, but they are.
So let's get to the talk on theproducts.
Formaldehyde is often used onproducts.
To preserve it, as I mentioned,and in that preserving process,

(08:18):
it's usually like products withhigh water concentration.
That's needed most.
So, if you think of like yourshampoos and your conditioners,
those are two common productsthat often will be treated with
formaldehyde for thepreservation.
You're going to findformaldehyde end include face
creams, moisturizers.

(08:39):
I mentioned the shampoo.
Now bodywash is a common one,too.
You can easily avoid that justby using a clean bar of soap,
something that is made by one ofyour local farmer's markets
guys.
No fragrance, of course, but sothat one's easy to do to avoid.
Body lotions, soaps.
Of course embalming fluid, as Imentioned.
And then this one scares meguys.

(09:01):
It's used in bubble baths.
Now who uses bubble bass notes.
Well, I use it a lot, but it'smy kids, our children, babies,
they love bubble baths.
It makes it so much fun.
I can't argue with that.
However, you got to be carefulthere.
So many people are soaking theirchildren and formaldehyde and
don't even know it.
It really, really scares me.

(09:21):
So other things that can do tothe body, is it that it can
compromise your immune system,and cause of respiratory
infections and uneven heartbeat,fatigue, headaches, DNA damage.
I mentioned a leukemia.
So it does cause cancer, asthma.
Neuro toxicity and evendevelopmental toxicity.

(09:42):
These have all been linked toformaldehyde.
You know, directors who in bombare found to have the highest
risk of myeloid leukemia.
So as with the other ingredientsguys, I mean, I hope you're on,
on team eco here becauseformaldehyde is just, there's
nothing good about it.
And if they say, oh, there'snothing that says it directly

(10:05):
causes these problems.
Listen, there's enough studiesout there, that's linking,
formaldehyde.
To these other health issues.
And I think I'm just betterwithout it.
So I say, no, thank you toformaldehyde.
So I'm almost done, but before Igo, I want to make sure that I
share with you some of thoseterms that I mentioned of what

(10:27):
formaldehyde is also known as.
And it's a bit tricky because alot of these words are hard to
pronounce.
So please forgive me.
If I make any mistakes here, I'mstill learning.
Along with everyone else in thisworld.
So here's some names that youmight see.
And again, if I butcher these,then I'm copying and pasting
everything down into the shownotes.
So you can find it there.

(10:49):
But, needless to say four Malinformic aldehyde method, needle
method.
Now methyl aldehyde methyleneglycol, methylene oxide.
Binzel hemithorax.
To Bramo to nitrile propane one.
Three dial Rono Paul.
Five Bruno five nitro, one.

(11:11):
Hey, you know, I'm just gonnapost it down below because it
just goes on and on.
And you're going to say, whatlanguage is she speaking?
When I haven't seen before isthe Quaker Niamh 15.
That's one other one I mentionedbecause I've seen that on labels
before.
So look in the show notes forthe exact spelling yen.
Then other names thatformaldehyde is known as again,

(11:32):
it's very rarely.
Listed as formaldehyde on theingredients list.
So you want to look for one ofthese other names or remember,
it can always be hidden infragrance.
And that is all I have for you today.
I want to encourage you to checkback next Tuesday because I will

(11:57):
be sharing all that I havelearned about the world of
artificial coloring.
And what it does to our bodiesand our minds.
Especially our children.
It's going to be a really goodtopic.
I.
So chime back in.
Thank you so much for your timetoday.
I hope you have a wonderfulweekend.
Bye.
Bye.