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I called the manufacturer and an expert said eye-stinging symptoms were probably due to formaldehyde, which would dissipate after about three weeks,” she says.
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A science journalist is warning others to beware of the risks of MDF after her new bedroom furniture appeared to produce toxic fumes that were 13 times the World Health Organisation’s limits. Tracey Logan, who lives in Chiswick, west London, says she and her husband Richard Szwagrzak could not spend more than a minute in the room without their eyes stinging after new wardrobes and shelving were installed in April 2017. Despite claims that the fumes would go away if the room was well-ventilated for a few days, tests conducted by experts 11 days later showed that the concentration of formaldehyde was apparently more than 13 times air quality limits – prompting the couple to insist the £18,000 bedroom was ripped out. The furniture company says the tests were by no means conclusive, as they could have been influenced by other building work going on at the same time. However, the case raises questions over whether MDF-based shelving and other furniture is safe, and how this is being policed. Logan, who until recently worked as a BBC science reporter, says she is “frankly astonished” that the legally responsible body, trading standards, refused to investigate. Ruth Cadbury, their local MP, says the case has highlighted the “wide and potentially dangerous” gap in the law surrounding formaldehyde and indoor air pollution. Logan says she would strongly urge others considering similar work to insist the contractor uses zero formaldehyde MDF, if they can obtain it, or at least CARB2-compliant MDF that has a certifiably low formaldehyde rating. The couple now have this in their home. Their story will concern anyone who has had made-to-measure units and shelving installed in their home, particularly in a child’s room. MDF has long been a favourite of installers because it is cheap, easy to cut and paint, and is considered perfect for those working in unevenly shaped older houses. Few, though, are aware of the health risks it carries. No one could accuse the couple of using a back-street installer. The couple had chosen the award-winning and highly regarded Northamptonshire-based firm Heaven & Stubbs to rebuild the bedroom in their terraced home. The cost was to be £18,456, with more than £16,000 paid upfront. “I work from home and would pop into the room during the four-day installation,” says Logan. “I found my eyes were stinging after about 30 seconds. The supervisor told me this was quite normal and would go away if we left the windows open overnight. I felt for the workers who were in our bedroom all day fitting the furniture. An electrician visited to fit wall lights, and after a day in our bedroom he exhibited hayfever-like symptoms.”
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When the eye stinging remained five days later, Logan decided to do her own research, and soon found the likely cause was formaldehyde fumes which, according to the WHO, can potentially cause nasopharyngeal cancer. “I had spotted a bottle of solvent that workers had left in the room. I called the manufacturer and an expert said eye-stinging symptoms were probably due to formaldehyde, which would dissipate after about three weeks,” she says. “But, he asked, was I aware that MDF itself gave off formaldehyde? This freaked me out, as there was so much of it in our bedroom. We contacted [former government laboratory] BRE to arrange for air quality tests in our bedroom to see if it was safe to sleep in.” By the time the test was conducted, she says the eye-stinging had halted, and they had begun to wonder if they were wasting its £2,880 cost. But as well as the very high formaldehyde levels, the report found volatile organic compounds levels were more than 18 times the building regulations. There was “evidence that these are emanating from the fitted furniture,” it said. The couple immediately asked Heaven & Stubbs to remove the furniture, which took place the following Monday. A second BRE test confirmed that the levels in the room had returned to near normal after it was removed, she says. At this point the couple’s battle to get a refund, and to find out whether this was happening to others, began. After an 18-month dispute, Heaven & Stubbs refunded their initial outlay, plus the costs of the BRE tests. However, Logan’s attempts to get the matter investigated have largely failed. The Health and Safety Executive visited the installer’s Northamptonshire base to check workers were not being exposed to harmful chemicals, giving the premises a clean bill of health. However, after what Logan describes as several long delays, local trading standards officials declined to investigate the matter, citing cutbacks as one reason.
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Learn More »In September last year, the couple appeared before an all-party parliamentary group investigation into air pollution to express their concerns that the wider problem of formaldehyde emissions in homes is going largely uninvestigated. They have also sent details of the case to Geraint Davies MP, who is planning to present a new clean air bill to parliament this year. “MDF is being installed in thousands of UK homes every year, and you have to wonder how many other people are being exposed to carcinogenic fumes,” says Logan. “After Heaven & Stubbs removed our furniture, they stored it in a barn to air it for six weeks, at which point they sent two small samples to the BRE for further testing. It was found to still be emitting four times the safe limit. Most people would never have these tests done, but we had all the data. You’d think trading standards would have taken this opportunity to examine a well-documented case, but its staff have refused to investigate. It is shocking.” A trading standards spokesman says it will not be commenting because Logan had made a formal complaint. “Despite cuts to trading standards of more than 50% in less than a decade, officers and services continue to successfully prioritise very scarce resources to the cases of greatest detriment to consumers, particularly in areas where public safety is an issue,” he adds. Heaven & Stubbs told Guardian Money that the MDF and all paints and other materials used came from well-known and well-respected suppliers that conform to all UK and European safety standards. It says this is the first such complaint it has had in 20 years. “Heaven & Stubbs offered to repaint the furniture using an alternative water-based paint system and to remanufacture the furniture from fresh. Both suggestions were refused,” it says.
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