residual formaldehyde levels on various materials
and specific items of medical equipment.
Our results showed that residual formaldehyde
levels were lower on 12 plastic materials, but
higher on four other plastic materials, compared
with the filter paper. Notably, the residual formaldehyde
levels on polyurethane and polyamide 6
were 15 times higher than that on the filter paper.
The permeability of materials, the affinity with
formaldehyde and the properties of the surface
could all influence the amount of residual formaldehyde.
However, our study did not investigate
these issues. Meanwhile, Vagn Handlos6–8 reported
that the level of residual formaldehyde on polyamide
6 was less than that on the filter paper. These
contradictory data are probably due to the different
methods used for measurement of formaldehyde.