Regarding the decoration, after three years of decoration, I still feel that there is still a smell in the house. Is it a psychological effect? Or maybe it smells like decoration? I usually pay attention to opening windows for ventilation.
Theoretically, the emission period of formaldehyde is as long as 3 to 15 years. Therefore, it is common for the smell to remain after 3 years of decoration.
Hazardous gases in newly renovated rooms, according to the national standard "Code for Control of Indoor Environmental Pollution in Civil Construction Engineering", list five pollutants for control: free formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, radon, and TVOC.
Formaldehyde is a colorless, easily soluble, irritating gas. Man-made panels such as particleboard, density board, and plywood, adhesives and wallpaper are the main sources of formaldehyde in the air, with a release period of 3 to 15 years. It can be absorbed through the respiratory tract. The harm of formaldehyde to the human body is characterized by long-term, latent and hidden effects. Long-term inhalation of formaldehyde can cause serious diseases such as nasopharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer.
Benzene is a colorless gas with a special aromatic odor. Glues, paints, coatings and adhesives are major sources of benzene in the air. When benzene and benzene series are inhaled by the human body, they can cause central nervous system anesthesia; they can inhibit the body's hematopoietic function, reduce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and increase the incidence of aplastic anemia; they can also cause abnormal menstruation in women and congenital abnormalities in fetuses. Defects etc.
Radon is a colorless, odorless, invisible, inert gas. Building materials such as cement, bricks, sand, marble, and ceramic tiles are the main sources of radon, and a large amount of radon will also be released from geological fault zones. Radon and its progeny enter the human body with the air, or adhere to the tracheal mucosa and lung surface, or dissolve into body fluids and enter cell tissues, forming radiation in the body and inducing lung cancer, leukemia and respiratory lesions. Research by the World Health Organization shows that radon is the second most common carcinogen causing lung cancer after smoking.
Ammonia is a colorless gas with a strong pungent odor. It mainly comes from admixtures such as concrete antifreeze and flame retardants in fireproof boards. It has a strong irritating effect on the eyes, throat, and upper respiratory tract, and can cause poisoning through the skin and respiratory tract. In mild cases, it may cause congestion, increased secretions, pulmonary edema, bronchitis, and dermatitis. In severe cases, laryngeal edema and laryngospasm may occur. It can cause dyspnea, coma, shock, etc. High levels of ammonia can even cause reflex respiratory arrest.
TVOC Total Volatile Organic Compounds, VOC, the abbreviation of Votatile Organic Compound. VOCs are heterogeneous pollutants in indoor air. Because their individual concentrations are low but there are many types, they are generally not represented one by one. The total amount is represented by TVOC. TVOC includes benzene, toluene, butyl acetate, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, styrene, o-xylene, undecane, etc. Indoor construction and decoration materials are the main sources of airborne TVOCs. Studies have shown that even if the individual VOC content in indoor air is below its limit, the mixed presence and interaction of multiple VOCs will increase the hazard intensity. TVOC is toxic and irritating, can cause imbalance in the body's immune level, affect the function of the central nervous system, and cause dizziness, headache, drowsiness, weakness, chest tightness and other symptoms. It may also affect the digestive system, causing loss of appetite, nausea, etc. In severe cases, it can Damage the liver and hematopoietic system, and even cause death.
Since indoor air pollution directly harms health and life, we should realize the seriousness of the indoor air pollution problem and seek detection and treatment methods. However, there are still many people who do not know enough about the need for indoor air monitoring after decoration. Some of them find it troublesome and think that it will not cause much harm to the body. All they need to do is open the doors and windows and put some green plants in the room; some think that the smell in the room is not strong and does not need to be tested; and some think that the decoration materials are not enough. They are carefully selected by themselves, and there will be no pollution and so on. In fact, many harmful substances in decorative materials cannot be distinguished with the naked eye and smell. For example, benzene series substances do not have a strong irritating smell, but they are very harmful to the human body. Another example is the radioactive gas radon, which is odorless but can cause lung cancer and is the second largest risk factor after smoking. Therefore, every family and individual must have a clear understanding and prevention awareness of indoor decoration pollution.
It should be understood that once air pollution causes harm to one's own health, it will not only affect work and study, but also bring a heavy financial burden to the family. What's more, if leukemia, lung cancer, etc. are caused by pollution, treatment will be difficult or even life-threatening.
Relevant environmentalists and experts believe that it is very important to scientifically understand indoor air pollution and control it in a timely manner. Housing that seriously exceeds the standard must be professionally and intensively treated before it can be safely occupied. Professionals suggest that the correct way to control indoor air pollution is to first test the indoor air to determine the degree of pollution and main harmful components, and then select appropriate treatment methods to remove harmful gases based on excessive levels of harmful gases. On the basis of centralized management, long-lasting air disinfectants should be used to adsorb and oxidize harmful gases that are slowly released in the future, so as to eliminate harmful gases in their newly released state to the greatest extent, so as to achieve the purpose of long-term air purification. In short, after decorating your home, don’t forget to test it first to avoid moving into a “gas chamber” and endangering your health and life!
In addition, when choosing a testing agency, you must find a formal and qualified testing unit and Adopt national standard testing methods. There are some "testing units" on the market claiming to be able to use instruments to detect formaldehyde on the spot. However, this detection method is often ineffective.
What I would like to remind consumers here is that some companies advertise "free testing". In fact, most of their purposes are to promote treatment products. Therefore, their credibility and fairness are very poor. When looking for a testing company, you must be careful not to look for companies that do both testing and management. This is because such companies often deliberately say that you exceed the standard in order to promote treatment products; and after treatment, in order to "guarantee" their "governance" As a result, exceeding the standard is often regarded as qualified. Their impartiality is difficult to guarantee. According to relevant regulations, testing institutions are not allowed to engage in work that affects the fairness of testing, that is to say, testing institutions are not allowed to engage in governance work.
If you want to learn more about the hazards of decoration pollution, you can consult the Environmental Monitoring Center of the Shanghai Interior Decoration Industry Association. The consultation hotline is 021-51029901, or you can log in to the "China Environmental Monitoring Network": www.ssjc .net.cn can provide you with relevant help.