Most studies on workers’ exposure to formaldehyde from wood paneling have been done in
manufacturing plants. We did not find studies of formaldehyde exposures of carpenters working with
MDF in the field. Here are some numbers to put exposures in perspective. The effect of ventilation can
be seen in a recent study of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers which found
average formaldehyde levels were ten times higher when there was no ventilation: 1.04 (closed up), 0.39
(air conditioned) and 0.09 ppm (windows open).