High formaldehyde levels found in some baby furniture

Cribs and changing tables may be exposing babies to unhealthy levels of formaldehyde, according to a new environmental report.

In a report published today, Environment California found a half dozen products – out of 21 nursery furnishings it tested – emitted formaldehyde at levels high enough to trigger allergy and asthma attacks in children.

The only standards for formaldehyde exposure come from federal housing regulators who monitor its use in prefabricated homes. No one measures its emissions from children's furnishings, the report said.

Most children's product makers have adopted voluntary safety standards and received stamps of approval by the industry's top certification program – largely for concerns such as the size of removable pieces and structural safety.

The cribs and changing tables tested were made in the United States or Canada, and found in stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and Babies "R" Us.

"Everyone knows (formaldehyde) is bad … unlike with other chemicals where there's a perceived debate over the science," said attorney Rachel Gibson of Environment California, based in San Francisco.

Formaldehyde is often used in consumer products and building materials.

Environmentalists said formaldehyde emissions can be reduced by using soy-based glues in composite wood products.

Cribs and changing tables from Child Craft, Delta, Stork Craft, South Shore Furniture, and Jardine Enterprises had high formaldehyde emissions, the report found.

Philippe Piche, new products manager at Quebec-based South Shore Furniture, said the company's changing tables are structurally compliant. He said the company does not measure formaldehyde emissions.

The company soon may need to do so.

The California Air Resources Board last month approved rules to regulate formaldehyde emissions in composite wood products made, used or sold in the state.

California officials have classified formaldehyde as an air contaminant since 1992. It's also considered a human carcinogen. A branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency has "basically said there's no safe level," Gibson said.

According to the Environment California report, children continually exposed to formaldehyde at levels greater than 16 parts per billion indoors are more likely to develop coughing and allergies. At exposure levels above 50 parts per billion, children are at increased risk of developing asthma.

The report found an oak crib, made by Child Craft, emitted the largest amount of formaldehyde.

The company, like most others, tests for lead in paint and developed its own tough measures for "structural integrity," said Child Craft President Bill Suvak.

Formaldehyde is a concern only in composite wood and most of Child Craft's products are made from solid wood, Suvak said.

The Child Craft crib, however, includes a mattress platform made from composite wood.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Ngoc Nguyen at (916) 321-1041.