Healthy Classrooms: Why Air Quality Matters for Furniture
Children spend many hours each day in the same classroom, close to desks, shelves and cupboards. If that furniture releases chemicals into the air, children breathe them in for years. That is why furniture is part of indoor air quality.
Where does the problem come from?
Most school furniture is made from MDF or particle board. These are usually held together with glue that contains formaldehyde. Formaldehyde slowly leaves the board and enters the room air, mostly in the first months. The cancer agency IARC classes it as a human carcinogen, and the WHO sets an indoor guideline of 0.1 mg per cubic metre as a 30 minute average. Children breathe more air for their body weight than adults, so many experts take extra care in schools and nurseries.
- No-Added Formaldehyde binder: no formaldehyde is added to the glue.
- Measured emissions: testing assesses the release from a board or product.
- A binder declaration is not a promise of zero emissions or a finished-room air result.
Where does BIOMEBOARD™ stand?
BIOMEBOARD™ uses a binder with no added formaldehyde. A lab measured 1.62 mg per 100 g of board, as recorded in the material test report. We have not done a room test.
Do not forget the finish
A clean board can pick up formaldehyde from laminate, veneer or adhesive added later. When you buy desks, ask about the whole piece, not only the board.
A simple checklist for school buyers
- Ask for the emission class of the board.
- Ask if the binder is formaldehyde-free.
- Ask for a test report.
- Ask about laminates and glues.
- Ventilate rooms well after installing new furniture.
Good to know
BIOMEBOARD™ is for dry classrooms. Do not use it for lab benches near water, washrooms or art sinks.
A bonus for learning
A desk with a raw Type R surface lets students see the straw it is made from. It can start real conversations about waste, farming and materials.
What teachers and parents can do
- Ask the school which furniture boards were used.
- Ask for the emission class.
- Keep rooms ventilated.
- Report strong smells from new furniture.
- Support clear air quality rules in school purchasing.
FAQs
Children spend long hours in the same room, and they are still growing.
No. It has a lower limit, but the glue still contains formaldehyde.
Its binder has No-Added Formaldehyde. Ask for the board test report for measured content and emissions.
Can I use it in a science lab?
Only in dry areas, away from water.
How can I air a new classroom?
Open windows and run ventilation before term starts.
How do I know if furniture is low-emission?
Ask for the emission class and the test report. Do not rely on smell.
Should new classroom furniture be aired first?
Yes. Unpack it in a ventilated space and keep windows open for the first weeks.
Need data for your school tender? Request our reports.