Chinks getting flushed out.
==Formaldehyde – Deployment Occupational and
Environmental Health Concerns==
'''PURPOSE: To provide information regarding potential exposures to formaldehyde that personnel may experience during
deployments.'''
BACKGROUND: Formaldehyde gas has been identified as a cause of certain complaints of odors and eye, nose, and throat
irritation among deployed personnel in certain structures at operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The formaldehyde is being
emittedprimarily from plywood building materials in newly constructed buildings–, Container Express (CONEX) units, shelving,
and furniture–. Other source materials include certain insulation, glues, and paints.
Formaldehyde: What is it and where does it come from?
At room temperature, formaldehyde is a colorless, distinct, pungent-smelling gas. In liquid form it is commonly used as a
preservative in medical laboratories and mortuaries. It is used widely by industry to manufacturebuilding materialsand
numerous household products. It is also found in plastics, carpets, disinfectants, tobacco products, and many every day
personal use products and as a by-product of combustion.
Formaldehyde is in so many products and building materials used in homes and commercial facilities, most persons are
frequently exposed to low levels of formaldehyde that come out of these materials into the indoor air (called off-gassing). To
minimize the amount that would be associated with odors and adverse health effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
regulates the use of formaldehyde. Though there is U.S. military guidance to minimize use of unregulated/inappropriate building
materials at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are still occasional problems. This is because much of the construction
materials are procured from local vendors and foreign countries where the use of formaldehyde is not regulated to minimize
exposure as it is in the United States. The amount of formaldehyde released into the indoor
spaces of CONEXs, tents, and other wood structures, depends on the quantity, type, and
age of pressed wood used inside as building components and used to make furniture and
shelving for inside the space, and other factors such as air temperature, humidity and
ventilations. The rate at which formaldehyde is released is accelerated by heat and humidity.
What do we know about exposures during deployments?
Past and ongoing industrial hygiene assessments in Iraq and Afghanistan indicate a range of
formaldehyde levels in different structures. ?