Foam Playmats-Recent Health Warning

[emc2]

I can't afford a lot of new things, but the benefit is by buying second hand items, a lot of chemicals have supposedly gassed off the items by the time I get them.

[Indadhanu]

Whoops Formamide - Formaldehyde, my bad Forgive my scanning, and ignore my previous post obviously LOL. Or don't but just don't connect it to foam mats lol.

[Miss.B]

Ahh, Indadhanu, what's the diff??? Formamide, formaldehydedoodledoo whatever, lol, they are both toxic IMO!!!!!

[Indadhanu]

Not exactly sure, emc2 just drew it to my attention so I guess she might know?

[Miss.September]

Ours is outside on our decking. We put it there because we have a bubble machine, it would go on and the bubbles would splash on the deck, making it slippery and the kids would fall over. The mat has been perfect for that because it's non slip. She doesn't chew on it.

We also have the black ones that you buy in camping shops that we have put on the base of our tent. We've upgraded to a camper, but we're going to use the mats for the bottom of the annex, but guess we're going to ditch them now too. And these ones weren't cheap.

[Pretty Butterfly]

There was a massive pile of them at Reject shop this morning.. $15....Ad and I opened one up.. the smell is VILE!!!! I dont use chemicals, so it nearly knocked us out!!! It was mainly pink edges, with the alphabet on them...

I have never had any.. which is odd with all these kids...

[emc2]

Ahh, Indadhanu, what's the diff??? Formamide, formaldehydedoodledoo whatever, lol, they are both toxic IMO!!!!!

They are but I am sure I've read formaldehyde is a chemical that comes off things like new kitchens and they were using it to treat clothing as well.

Formamide, well one use as it said in the article I posted was to make the foam softer?

Anyway I am getting ready to go out so I will check my facts here and edit later.

To be honest there's chemicals in most "new" anythings we buy. Edited to say things get recalled when there's an excess of chemicals it seems.

[emc2]

Just quickly posting from Wikipedia's Formaldehyde article

Formaldehyde is a common building block for the synthesis of more complex compounds and materials. In approximate order of decreasing consumption, products generated from formaldehyde include urea formaldehyde resin, melamine resin, phenol formaldehyde resin, polyoxymethylene plastics, 1,4-butanediol, and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate.[2] The textile industry uses formaldehyde-based resins as finishers to make fabrics crease-resistant.[11] Formaldehyde-based materials are key to the manufacture of automobiles, and used to make components for the transmission, electrical system, engine block, door panels, axles and brake shoes. The value of sales of formaldehyde and derivative products was over $145 billion in 2003, about 1.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States and Canada. Including indirect employment, over 4 million work in the formaldehyde industry across approximately 11,900 plants in the U.S. and Canada.[12]

When reacted with phenol, urea, or melamine, formaldehyde produces, respectively, hard thermoset phenol formaldehyde resin, urea formaldehyde resin, and melamine resin, which are commonly used in permanent adhesives such as those used in plywood or carpeting. It is used as the wet-strength resin added to sanitary paper products such as (listed in increasing concentrations injected into the paper machine headstock chest) facial tissue, table napkins, and roll towels. They are also foamed to make insulation, or cast into moulded products. Production of formaldehyde resins accounts for more than half of formaldehyde consumption.

Formaldehyde is also a precursor to polyfunctional alcohols such as pentaerythritol, which is used to make paints and explosives. Other formaldehyde derivatives include methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, an important component in polyurethane paints and foams, and hexamine, which is used in phenol-formaldehyde resins as well as the explosive RDX. Formaldehyde has been found as a contaminant in several bath products, at levels from 54–610 ppm: it is thought to arise from the breakdown of preservatives in the products.[13]




Formamide (pasting bits and pieces from Wikipedia here)

Formamide, also known as methanamide, is an amide derived from formic acid. It is a clear liquid which is miscible with water and has an ammonia-like odor. It is used primarily for manufacturing sulfa drugs and synthesizing vitamins and as a softener for paper and fiber. In its pure form, it dissolves many ionic compounds that are insoluble in water, so it is also used as a solvent.

Formamide is also a constituent of cryoprotectant vitrification mixtures used for cryopreservation of tissues and organs.

Formamide is also used as an RNA stabiliser in gel electrophoresis by deionizing RNA. In capillary electrophoresis, it is used for stabilizing (single) strands of denatured DNA.

Another use is to add it in sol-gel solutions in order to avoid cracking during sintering.

Formamide, in its pure state, has been used as an alternative solvent for the electrostatic self-assembly of polymer nanofilms.[2]

Formamide is used to prepare primary amines directly from ketones via their N-formyl derivatives, using the Leuckart reaction.

You might like to google the articles yourself to read the information on safety.

But something which also makes interesting reading are environmental articles on the environment inside your home.

I have gone back to page 3 and bolded the important parts of the article.