If possible, choose solid wood furniture, “while asking the seller about the treatments undergone”, specifies Dr. Laurent Chevallier, author of the book “Le Livre antitoxique”. The objective: to avoid certain paintings, varnishes and stains potentially emitting VOCs, but also certain insecticide treatments on wood. “By buying it as raw as possible, you can then paint and varnish it with low-emissive products, such as Ecolabel products”, advises the doctor. Bet on natural hard oils (based on linseed oil, oleaginous derivatives and vegetable wax), lime or casein paint.
If you opt for chipboard furniture
Choose a piece of furniture made from class E1 panels, guaranteed to have a lower formaldehyde content. The NF Environnement Ameublement, NF Ameublement and NF Exigence labels (for bathroom and kitchen furniture) certify the use of this E1 class;
To limit VOC emissions from your new furniture, unpack them, throw away the packing boxes and leave your furniture outside for a few days (on your balcony or in your garage) before installing them in the room;
Air the room whose furniture has just been changed for several days.
Is solid wood better for your health than chipboard?
“Plywood and chipboard furniture will emit formaldehyde for years, an irritant substance for the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and the eyes, and classified as a certain carcinogen by the IARC”, explains Laurent Héritier, habitat and health advisor. Panels derived from wood, and more particularly chipboard and plywood, indeed require resins in order to agglomerate the particles and wood chips together. However, these resins are made from formaldehyde (formaldehyde dissolved in water). Formaldehyde is also found in medium and OSB panels, as well as in melamine furniture.
Should we be wary of second-hand furniture?
For economic and aesthetic reasons, more and more people are furnishing themselves with second-hand objects. Also at the health level, this can be an interesting option, provided that the furniture is already a few years old. Thus, they will have released a large part of their toxic particles – although there will always be some. But above all, it is the way to furnish yourself with solid wood at a lower price.
However, there is a population for which we must be particularly vigilant: babies and children. The current safety standards are indeed much more drastic than those of our parents. Thus, baby cots must in particular respect a maximum gap between the bed bars so that the baby does not get his head stuck in them.
Cribs, extra caution
In 2009, Asef (Association Santé Environnement France) carried out a study on the levels of formaldehyde emitted by solid wood and chipboard baby beds. With clear results: all the beds tested alone emitted a quarter of the value set by Asef for formaldehyde, i.e. 10 μg / m3 for infants under 1 year old. While waiting for government measures and possible labeling of baby cots (like the new labeling for decoration products), give preference to solid wood furniture. The Asef also advises to “degas” the new baby bed, by storing it in the garage or on the balcony several months before its arrival. The study is available online on the Asef website: www.asef-asso.fr
