JUST AS IMPORTANT IS WHAT WE LEAVE OUT!
Babies do not just sleep in their cribs; they lean against the rails, breathe close to the surfaces, and chew on the wood while teething.
That is why many parents choose to avoid nursery furniture made with engineered wood to protect their children from potential chemical exposure.
WHY AVOID VENEERS, PLYWOOD, MDF, AND PARTICLEBOARD?
Engineered Wood materials are often made by glueing wood chips, dust and veneers together with toxic adhesives, resins or synthetic binders.
Many are covered with thin wood veneers, painted or stained that can wear, chip or expose the materials underneath.
FORMALDEHYDE AND VOCs CONCERNS FROM ENGINEERED WOOD
Engineered wood products may be made with adhesives or resins that can release formaldehyde and other VOCs into indoor air.
Public health agencies have identified formaldehyde & VOC emissions from certain composite wood products as an indoor air quality concern and exposure can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat.
VOC CONCERNS FROM PRESSED WOOD FURNITURE
The EPA warns that one of the greatest sources for indoor pollution comes from “furniture made of certain pressed wood products.”
Indeed, the EPA states that furnishings are one of the few sources of indoor air pollution that “release pollutants more or less continuously" from the
time they are put in our homes.
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION FROM FURNISHINGS
THE EPA states that furnishings are one of the few sources of indoor air pollution that “release pollutants more or less continuously" from the time they are put in our homes.
Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Because people spend “90% of their time indoors” the EPA has concluded that “the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.”
DELAMINATION AND MOISTURE CONCERNS
The adhesive securing the veneer to the core may break down over time, resulting in peeling and cracked edges.
Moisture may cause MDF and particleboard to swell and lose their structural foundation.
