The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-09-09, Page 20PAGE 4A --GODERICH SIGNAL,STAR, WEDNESDAY, SEM-MIER 9,1981
John Fortier, a technician at Western's Occupational
Health and Safety Resource Centre, sets up a testing device
in the kitchen of a London home to measure formaldehyde
fumes from urea -formaldehyde foam insulation. Centre
staff have tested over 110 homes in the London area in
response to public concern about a potential
from the insulation. Laboratory tests
fumes from the insulation can cause cancer
allergic reactions in some humans.
health hazard
that
and
have
shown
in
rats
Feeding the seagulls
Sponsor electric clubs
Your car has just struck a
hydro pole — a live tran-
smission wire is,lying on the
roof and your car is on fire.
Do you get out? Stay put?
Pray?
If you had ever been in a 4-
H electric conservation club,
you would know enough to
jump from the car and hop
away - andyou would also
know a, lot of other things
about electricity.
Ontario Hydro has
sponsored 4-H electric
conservation clubs for 20
years to leach rural youths
about the role of electricity
ort the farm, says Grant
Webber, Ontario Hydro
energy conservation
supervisor in charge of
agriculture.
"We look . upon the
program as basic," he says.
"These people are interested
in the. total energy picture
right from the role of the
generator through to turning
on the switch in the milk
house."
"They need a chance to
talk about what's going on
today so they'll know more
tomorrow when they're
paying the bills."
The club's program
consists of five meetings and
an achievement day. Topics
include the sources of
electricity, how to read a
meter and assess energy
use, electrical cables, .farm
building insulation, and
safety aroundlectricity.
Assignment include a
total wattage inventory of
the electrical equipment on
each participant's farm,
checking building insulation,
and sketching the farm and
its electricity uses.
Since 1973;.the emphasis of
the club has been to increase
awareness of energy con-
servaton, says Webber. time
is devoted to discussing ways
of improving energy ef-
ficiency on the farm.
The lesson on insulation
includes information on
vapor barriers,' types of
insulation, installation
techniques,__ and the "R"
value of insulation in various
farm buildings.
All lessons • in the course
are taught by Ontario Hydro
agricultural ' consultants in
conjunction with local
agricultural offices.
If you would like to see a
club offered in your area,
contact your local
agricultural office.
,As 1 .have retired from selling. DeKalb seed
corn, l' would like to thank my customers for
their patronage'•over the past 25 years. 1
have'enloyed serving you.and trust yoU*111
give my successor your continued support.
Thomas Sowerby
Local horneow.ers turning
to Western University
Ientre for UFFI testing
Local homeowners con-
cerned about urea for-
maldehyde foam insulation
have been turning to the Oc-
cupational Health and Safety
Resource Centre at The
University of Western On-
tario to determine . if they
have a potential health
hazard.
Centre staff have tested
110 homes . in the London
area. Public concern over
the insulation grew after, the
federal government banned
further installation of urea
formaldehyde foam in
December, 1980. Laboratory
tests have indicated that
fumes from the insulation
can cause cancer in rats and
allergic reactions in some
humans.
An estimated 100,000
homes across . Canada, in-
cluding 30,000 ` in Ontario,
have the formaldehyde foam
insulation.
Urea formaldehyde foam
insulation is a white or
yellowish crumbly material
with a spongy texture. In-
jected into the wall cavity in
liquid form, it later expands
into foam.
Some who have called the
centre with concerns abort
insulation have not had the
formaldehyde type. Another
common type of foam insula-
tion, called urethane, has
caused no known problems.
For $100, which covers
costs, plus travel expenses
outside of London, the centre
will send a technician to test
for formaldehyde fumes in
the home.
The three to four hour test
involves placing an air trap-
ping device in the home to
monitor levels of for-
maldehyde gas. The sample
is taken back to the
laboratory at Western and
•analyzed. • •
About one-third of the 110
homes tested by the centre
have shown formaldehyde
gas concentration levels
greater than the 1. parts per
million level recommended
as acceptable for the home
environment by Health and
Welfare Canada. The accep-
table level for the workplace
is 2 ppm.
The highest levels record-
ed in the London homes were
.5 ppm, but that finding was
"very rare", according., to
Mr. Cheung.
The homeowner receives a
laboratory report on the test
findings and the decision is
left up to ,the homeowner
about what to do, said Mr.
Cheung. "We make no
recommendation on whether
or not they should remove
the foam."
Although this particular
type of foam insulation was
banned as a suspected car-
cinogen, Mr. Cheung said no
definite test results have yet
proven it causes cancer in
humans.
The laboratory tests which
produced cancer in rats in-
volved prolonged exposure
to levels of 6 to 15 parts per
million, far in excess of the
amount found in the living
space of hOmes containing
the insulation.
Formaldehyde is a com-
mon preservative used in
laboratories, yet a British
study of mortality risk com-
parisons between lab techni-
cians and pathologists and
the general public showed no
evidence of long-term health
risk from frequent exposure
to formaldehyde.
It may be,` -however, that
other factors, such as bEtter
lab ventilation and the
absence of- constant ex-
posure as in a living environ-
ment, play a part in such fin-
dings, Mr. Cheung says.
Scientists can't agree on
the long term effects•of ex-
posure to • low level : for-
maldehyde gas..
"Different people respond
in different ways to for-
maldehyde gas and , that's
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one of the problems in deter-
mining an acceptable stan-
dard. I don't feel that people
should panic over the situa-
tion unless they're experien-
cing some adverse effects."
Some people have ex-
perienced allergic reactions
t9 the fumes. Symptoms can
include headaches, rashes,
breathing difficulties, in-
somnia, sinus problems,and
nose bleeding. Others suffer
no apparent ill effects.
"People should consult a
doctor to make certain it is
the foam that is the cause.
and not something else," Mr.
Cheung advised.
Removing the insulation is
expensive. Costs can run
between $5,000 and $30,000,
depending upon the com-
plexity of the job.
Use of dehumidifiers and
better ventilation can help
lessen the release of . for-
maldehyde gas, according to
Mr. Cheung.
Homeowners who can wait
for testing may be able to get
free work done by the On-
tario or federal govern-
ments. The federal govern-
ment has announced plans to
test 2,000 homes across
Canada and the Ontario
government plans to start its
own testing program
through the Ministry of
Labour. Details of the pro-
gram
ro-
graft s have not yet been an-
nounced.
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