Pollution doesn't just come out of exhausts:a lot of furniture contains formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound that the International Agency for Research on Cancer upgraded in 2004 from "probable carcinogen" to "certain carcinogen". It is found in particular in glues, lacquers and varnishes, new textiles, and in the majority of new furniture which is often made with reconstituted wood panels, such as plywood or chipboard.
The problem is that there is currently no labeling of air emissions from furniture, as there is for example for paints. We will have to wait until 2020 to find out which furniture gives off what… In September 2015, the National Health Security Agency (ANSES) was commissioned by the Ministry of Health to draw up a list of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances. It is the emissions of the products on this list that will be measured for future labeling. Except that in the meantime... how can we be on our guard?
The French furniture industry advises consumers to buy furniture "bearing the marks 'NF Meubles' and 'NF Environnement'". Quite simply because the French industry is hyper vigilant, and it chooses water-based glues and finishing products, it does not use phthalates or harmful flame retardants.
Other small actions to take to protect yourself:1 / ventilate your interior every day for at least 10 minutes, 2 / prefer furniture made of solid and raw wood, or treated with products without volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 3 / buy second-hand furniture, because the majority of volatile organic compounds have already escaped! 4 / put plants at home that absorb pollutants, such as Aloe vera, Philodendron, Chrysanthemum, Azalea…
> Read also:How to limit the harmful effects of pollution?
