Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI) is a type of insulation that was widely used in the 1970's for insulating and retrofitting industrial, commercial and older residential buildings. The foam can be forced through small openings and delivered to the entire area of any cavity before it cures.2 Sept 2010
Is urea formaldehyde insulation still used?
UFFI is still used in Europe, where it was never banned and is considered one of the better “retrofit” insulations. In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the sale of UFFI in the United States in 1982, and shortly thereafter a law prohibiting the sale of urea formaldehyde was enacted.4 Feb 2014
Is urea formaldehyde foam insulation safe?
Pure formaldehyde gas (vapors) has been listed as a probable human carcinogen, though formaldehyde in non-vapor forms is not considered carcinogenic. Urea-formaldehyde foam is a solid product, so contact with the foam is not dangerous.
What are the advantages of urea formaldehyde?
The use of urea-formaldehyde resins as a major adhesive by the forest products industry is due to a number of advantages, including low cost, ease of use under a wide variety of curing conditions, low cure temperatures, water solubility, resistance to microorganisms and to abrasion, hardness, excellent thermal
When was urea formaldehyde foam insulation banned?
1980
Is urea formaldehyde foam insulation dangerous?
Urea-formaldehyde foam is a solid product, so contact with the foam is not dangerous. The process of installing the foam involved taking liquid monomer and reacting it so that it becomes a solid. This process is called polymerization. In the process of polymerization, some formaldehyde is released into the atmosphere.
How do you detect urea formaldehyde foam insulation?
Look at the foam insulation color and finish skin: UFFI foam is yellowish and not shiny, but may have picked up dirt or dust during installation as it oozed out of a dirty building cavity or due to simple age and exposure its exterior may be darker yellow.
Why is urea formaldehyde banned?
It was used in approximately half a million homes in North America. UFFI was banned in Canada in 1980, and two years later it was banned in the U.S. because of fears concerning off-gassing of the formaldehyde, an irritating and potentially carcinogenic gas.
When was urea formaldehyde foam insulation banned in the US?