flooring consists of plywood with a thin fancy veneer
bonded onto the face of the plywood using ureaformaldehyde and melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resins
as hot-press adhesives. Many consumer products containing formaldehyde-based resins release formaldehyde
vapor, leading to consumer dissatisfaction and healthrelated complaints. These emissions have resulted in
various symptoms, the most common of which is
irritation in the eyes and the upper respiratory tract.
Formaldehyde has also been found to produce nasal
carcinomas in mice and rats after exposure to 14.1 and
5.6 ppmof formaldehyde, respectively, over a long
period of time. These findings have led to an intensified
interest in the indoor environment. Consumer products,
specifically construction materials, are a major source of
formaldehyde in the indoor environment