formaldehyde

[digitek718]

So im pricing different cargos..one guy i spoke to said i shouldnt sleep in a cargo because of formaldehyde..he then conveniently added that he also sells rvs..i then added i would rather spend 4 grand instead of 15.. im not worried about it but was wondering if there was a greater or lesser risk of formaldehyde offgassing with a cargo as compared to an rv?

[Wolfscout]

Sounds like a poor attempt at convincing you not to seek your goal. I imagine his factory fresh RV has it too.


just added info.. Many manufactured homes have formaldehyde in them and you are told to let it air out a few hours while you move in. Nothing really long term about it. sort of like alcohol drying. Fumes remain. I'd not be worked up about it. Treated wood, and many other construction materials have formaldehyde in the manufacture of the product. Construction Glue has it I've been told.

[cargobob]

Link to EPA Site:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

My son works in a plywood mill, they get the glue on them all day long (wearing ppa) I wouldn't worry about it in a CT...Just saying

[Gadget Man]

How can some sales guy say there are more formaldehyde fumes in a cargo trailer than a standard RV camper ??? That's just crazy.

With all the vinyl flooring, upholstery, fake wood, plastic and rubber in a camper, that thing will off-gas ten times more than a cargo trailer with a few sheets of plywood in it.

Although, when I was shopping for a trailer to buy, I did notice a few had a pretty strong plywood smell.

Gadget Man

[pete42]

90 Degree temperature, new travel trailer enter at your own risk.

all one has to do is go into a closed travel trailer or cargo trailer on any hot day
you will find out that both have out gassing that can burn your nose and make your eyes run.........as they say been there done that.

a good airing out is required for both.

I too would go with the cargo trailer
Pete

[Engineer Guy]

I think 'Gadget Man' has the relative values more in the Ballpark than not: RVs will have much more surface area TO outgas. The intense fumes even knock me for a loop when I've kicked Tires on RVs looking for build ideas.

Outta the blue, my Avatar became sensitive to fumes when she taught in a just-remodeled wing at her HS. Carpets - not even in CTs - are very problematic, as are Glues in MDF. I had to study up on all this some when spec'ing out our new House Kitchen Cabs. W/o going over the top in Materials chosen, we did find low VOC Cabinets effortlessly. Plus, by design, our new House is super-tight in terms of low Air infiltration.

Although she's less sensitive now, my Avatar has followed sound advice to avoid - ta da - 'Dollar Stores'. Lots o'fumes in those places from their Inventory. Funny, but true...

From all that I read exhaustively, advice or opinions inferring that outgassing occurs relatively quickly, and that a simple 'airing out' is all that's req'd, are WAY off base. Fume levels don't normalize quickly. If graphed, one would see a slow, declining plot of 'fume' levels over time.

IMO, save your Shekels and go with the relatively-low outgassing CT.

[8ball_99]

From what I understand OSB and MDF are a couple of the worst building materials. Which if you ever really look at a commercially built travel trailer those are pretty much all thats in them.. A cargo trailer is going to have plywood floor and walls. Should be less out gassing and I would think the trailer would "air" out much faster since everything is exposed.. I know on both my trailers the plywood oder was gone with in a couple of weeks of leaving the trailer opened up..

[GPW]

And then there’s the fact that RV dealers are the known Biggest Liars in the world ... My 5 year old Jayco TT still has some annoying odors , even after been aired out many times ... All OSB and the cheapest plywood ... even the seat cushions reeked for months after I removed them from the trailer and put them in my new Foamie TD, which didn’t smell at all ...
At least with a CT conversion , you can air out all the wall/ceiling,cabinet/etc. materials Out of the trailer ,before assembly... so they don’t stink forever.... except for maybe the floor , but that’ll likely get painted or covered anyway ...

[Chef_Stan]

Off gassing is a problem and it is not good for you at all, it has been suggested that it links to cancer and breathing problems (ie asthama). I have read that vinal shower curtians are really bad off gassers and should be opened and left outside for at least 24 hours before bringing them into the house. Some of these gasses will settle onto everything in your home/camper some of which is your eating/cooking wears.

Do you recall hearing about people who lived in RV's for long periods of time post Katrina having health issues?

MDF is one of the worst things, however as more people are becoming aware of this and with stricter EPA air quality standards you are seeing more and more low VOC products. My local Home Depot has formaldhide free/low VOC MDF.

Personally I would not want to live in something made out of this stuff, much less expose my 4 year old son to it.

Stan

[d30gaijin]

So im pricing different cargos..one guy i spoke to said i shouldnt sleep in a cargo because of formaldehyde..he then conveniently added that he also sells rvs..i then added i would rather spend 4 grand instead of 15.. im not worried about it but was wondering if there was a greater or lesser risk of formaldehyde offgassing with a cargo as compared to an rv?

The guy is full of s#!t.

I recently retired from the my State's Department of Environmental Quality. Formaldehyde in a CT is typically minimal and comes from the small amount of plywood used in their construction. It certainly is not life threatening. Formaldehyde off gassing will be much more noticeable (smellable?) in a factory built RV in warm weather, but not at life threatening levels. So vent it a bit if you don't like the smell, as some people don't. As for me, hey it doesn't bother me. It smells like new to me.

The only time I have seen Formaldehyde over come a person was when we had a few summer time temp employees pumping Formaldehyde from a 55 gallon drum into sample containers (as a preservative) in an 8x8 foot unventilated shed in 90 plus degree temps. They were taken to the hospital in accordance with our medical monitoring program and moniterd (Formaldehyde blood levels monitored) and they soon disipated to normal levels. They were monitored for a year after with no long term effects found.

The point being is that Formaldehyde exposure via short term exposure isn't a killer. If you work around full on Formaldehyde i.e., pumping the liquid from a drum and using it on a on a daily basis as a part of your job without the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), then yes you are endangering yourself and are subjecting yourself to long term health problems. Being in a CT or even an RV isn't likely to be a problem. Be that as it may, again, the guy is full of s#!t! A CT will subject you to far less Formaldehyde exposure unless, that is, you build your CT interior out of the same cheap junk RV builders do.

My Two Cents,
Don

[Wolfscout]

Shame we can't like a post. I'd like don's post.

sometimes.. we pay attention to things put out be media and other sources... for all the wrong reasons.

Don't forget that plywood in construction of new homes, that new vinyl floor.
the construction glue in your walls for sheetrock..... blah blah blah.. it's not just RVs if you wish to be paranoid.

[mezmo]

The salesman is giving you a line as there are less materials in an empty
CT to off gas than in a RV.

But: Formaldehyde is a serious risk/problem especially if you are, or
develop a sensitivity to it. I'm allergic to it and can't be around it and
it's often hard to avoid since most "modern" building materials use it in
some form or another as a component. It's in glues, finishes etc.

I cannot go into new RVs or manufactured homes due to the high
formaldehyde content in their materials. They give me instant headaches
and serious breathing problems. I even went to a parade of homes event
a few years ago and walked into one $350K+ house and had an instant
spontaneous nose bleed from the formaldehyde fumes!

If you're not especially sensitive to it, something totally off-gassed should
be OK. If you are sensitive to it, any amount is too much. And continued
exposure to it can cause sensitivity to those who never had it before - i.e
the problem with the Katrina FEMA trailers.

It also seems that the cheaper the materials - or the more "modern or
man-made'" a material is - the more formaldehyde they seem to contain
- at least in my experience.

Good luck in your choices.

[d30gaijin]

The salesman is giving you a line as there are less materials in an empty
CT to off gas than in a RV.

But: Formaldehyde is a serious risk/problem especially if you are, or
develop a sensitivity to it. I'm allergic to it and can't be around it and
it's often hard to avoid since most "modern" building materials use it in
some form or another as a component. It's in glues, finishes etc.

I am glad you qualified your statement that it is a risk if one is sensitive to it. The majority of people are not and to send up such an alarm is, I think, a bit irresponsible, but I understand it from your perspective. Were I sensitive to Formaldehyde I might do the same, but I would better qualify my statement, which you almost came close to doing.

For 99.9% of the people it is the smell of new... Perhaps not the healthiest smell of new but then again you have much greater cause for concern with regards to your life, like walking across the street or getting hit by a drunk driver. I worry a lot more about those than trace Formaldehyde in building materials.

Don

[mezmo]

d30gaijin Wrote:

"I am glad you qualified your statement that it is a risk if one is sensitive to it.
The majority of people are not and to send up such an alarm is, I think, a bit
irresponsible, but I understand it from your perspective. Were I sensitive
to Formaldehyde I might do the same, but I would better qualify my statement,
which you almost came close to doing."

There is nothing irresponsible about stating Formaldehyde poses a risk/
problem. If you do not believe so, that is your privilege. Both positions
are opinions, backed by individual experience.

My second to last paragraph does qualify things:

"If you're not especially sensitive to it, something totally off-gassed should
be OK. If you are sensitive to it, any amount is too much. And continued
exposure to it can cause sensitivity to those who never had it before - i.e
the problem with the Katrina FEMA trailers."

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[5ohfo]

Common indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution.AKA (formaldehyde) NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside homes, indoor public spaces,trailers and office buildings! If they send 3 dollar plants into space Im sure this works! Here is a link http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2007/ps_3.html or just do google search (indoor plants nasa) I know ill be putting a few plants in my stealth camper ct project.