Don:

Had more to do with the amount of formaldehyde to be scaveng ed.  This was human anatomy class and even though the cadavers had been rinsed, the formaldehyde was still present.

We’re in Northern California, in the northern Sacramen to Valley – we’re lucky if the humidity gets over 40% RH!  A really humid da y is 50% RH and we’re all whining about sweltering.  So hydrophilicity isn’ ;t a problem.

The anatomy class has been moved into a new facility with do wn draft tables that are exhausted to the outside.

Hope this helps,

Debbie

----------------------

Debbie M. Decker, Campus Chemical Safety Officer
Environmental Health and Safety
University of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave.
Davis, CA  95616
(530)754-7964/(530)752-4527 (FAX)
dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu
Co-Conspirator to Make the World A
Better Place -- Visit www.HeroicS tories.com and join the conspiracy

----- Original Message -----

From: Debbie M. Decker

To: DCHAS-L **At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU

Sent: Wednesday, Apr il 28, 2010 7:26 PM

Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Formaldehyde filtration

Big Carbon Bed – several inches thick.  We’ ve had good luck with downdraft necropsy tables that run the exhaust through a really thick carbon bed - >12”, if memory serves.  We were able to show th at the formaldehyde was captured on the carbon bed using an exposure dosimeter, bo th in the air stream out of the filter and on the humans in the space.

Hope this helps.

Debbie

------------------------

Debbie M. Decker, Campus Chemical Safety Officer
Environmental Health and Safety
University of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave.
Davis, CA  95616
(530)754-7964/(530)752-4527 (FAX)
dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu
Co-Conspirator to Make the World A
Better Place -- Visit www.HeroicS tories.com and join the conspiracy

From: DCHAS-L Discu ssion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Ringen, Sonja G.
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:48 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Formaldehyde filtration

We have a researcher who would like to occasionally vent small quantities (micrograms/cubic meter; maybe less) of formaldehyde from a vessel being developed to measure greenhouse gases.  Because the vessel sits on a laser table, and there is no fume hood in the laboratory, we are hesitant to tell him to vent it into the room (especially since the building is old and there is very little turnover of the air in the room).  I’d like to find a filter for the exhaust before it goes outside, but have had trouble finding an effective filter.  I know that activat ed charcoal is not very effective for such a small molecule.

What do you use to filter formaldehyde from exhaust?

Sonja Ringen

Office of Safety, Health and Environment

NIST/Boulder

325 Broadway, MC 173.02

Boulder, CO  80305

Phone: 303.497.7389

Mobile: 303.961.9251