Everyone should test their home to find out how significant their formaldehyde problem is. Sierra Club used passive acs bagdge for formaldehyde to expose the infamous FEMA trailers. You simply slide the outer cover down, hang in the center of area to be tested (bedrooms are good starting point), wait 24-hours, slide cover closed and mail. Anyone can test their own home and the cost is only $39 including the lab analysis. Testing again on a warm summer day is best as formaldehyde doubles with each 10-degrees. Much of the residential formaldehyde comes from the wall insulation especially if the home is built since about 2000 and wrapped in Tyvek.

Sealing manufactured wood is a good idea if you aren’t willing to eliminate it. Each coat reduces the off gasing by about 50%.

Although the new formaldehyde regulation will in the future make some improvement, it will not solve the problem. This is because the testing is done at 73 degrees, not 83 degrees that many places see in the summer. It is also down with an air exchange every 2-hours, many homes take 10-hours for one air exchange. The new standard is once every 3-hours. The testing also assumes an unrealistically low volume of formaldehyde source. It doesn’t take into consideration furniture, cooking, personal items or personal care products. It also doesn’t cover none wood products like bamboo which is a grass or insulation that is fiberglass. BTW, the fiberglass insulation in the walls is one of the largest sources.

Testing is the only way to know.