Formaldehyde can cause acute health problems and possibly even cancer. With the new portable product, GASERA ONE FORMALDEHYDE, we can monitor the indoor and outdoor background levels reliably for the first time.
Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a pungent odor. Formaldehyde levels above 0.1 ppm can cause acute health problems, e.g. sore throat, skin irritation, nausea, scratchy eyes and cough. It is also classified as highly carcinogenic compound. Exposure to moderate amounts of formaldehyde has been linked to cancer, such as leukemia. However, the full effect of exposure to small amounts and all of the effects are still unknown.
We are exposed to formaldehyde everyday
Formaldehyde can be found in both small and significant concentrations in various environments. Industrial emissions, traffic, building materials, cooking, and tobacco smoking are sources of formaldehyde. Also many everyday products, such as cosmetics, furniture, and detergents contain formaldehyde. High levels of formaldehyde are often found in new homes or homes with new construction. Formaldehyde is a significant emission from biofuel usage, which is increasing. It is expected that biofuel combustion will have a significant effect on increasing formaldehyde levels, especially in urban areas.
Some people are more sensitive to formaldehyde than others.
“Formaldehyde exposure is a special concern for children, elderly, and people with breathing problems, such as asthmatics. Children may become sensitive to formaldehyde more easily than adults. Elderly people are usually less tolerant to high formaldehyde exposures, leading to lower risk of becoming sick. Formaldehyde exposure may precipitate asthmatics attacks,” says Gasera’s CEO, Ismo Kauppinen.
Until today, formaldehyde has been difficult to monitor with existing technologies. Now Gasera Ltd., a Finnish high-tech company, launches a disruptive analyzer, which is based on the proven technology of the GASERA ONE platform. It offers for the first time an affordable and easy-to-use tool for continuously monitoring the background levels of formaldehyde. GASERA ONE FORMALDEHYDE analyzer can achieve below 1 ppb detection limit, which is well below the 16 ppb recommendation for occupational exposure limit by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA.
By solving this global and increasing measurement problem GASERA ONE FORMALDEHYDE has huge market potential, according to Kauppinen.
“A significant advantage of the product is the intuitive interface, which is easy to use with a single knob or via your smart device. Thanks to its patented photoacoustic detection scheme combined with a quantum cascade laser source, it gives an exceptionally high level of stability with a re-calibration period ranging from several months up to several years, and thus it offers a low total cost of ownership,” says Kauppinen.