Formaldehyde involves all aspects of our lives. Decoration, furniture, supplies, and even food may contain formaldehyde. The harm of formaldehyde is great and lasts for a long time. With the news about formaldehyde in tofu cat litter, many cat owners began to have doubts about the tofu cat litter they were using. The tofu cat litter we have chosen thousands of times may actually become the culprit that endangers the health of cats. Maybe every cat owner will inevitably feel uneasy because of this. Does tofu cat litter contain formaldehyde? What are the harms of formaldehyde in tofu cat litter? What is the detection method for formaldehyde in tofu cat litter? Let's find out together.
Does tofu cat litter contain formaldehyde?
Regarding whether the tofu cat litter contains formaldehyde, a more accurate statement should actually be whether the formaldehyde content in the tofu cat litter meets the standard. "ND" or "not detected" in the formaldehyde test report means that the formaldehyde content is within the standard range. So what standard is used for formaldehyde detection? At present, there is no formaldehyde testing standard specifically for tofu cat litter, and different countries may implement different testing standards. Taking China as an example, the "GB50325 Civil Construction Engineering Indoor Environmental Pollution Control Specification" is generally used, which specifies that the formaldehyde content should be ≤0.08mg/m3. To sum up, generally, the formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter is less than 0.08, which is regarded as "ND" or "not detected".
The raw materials of tofu cat litter are natural food-grade pea fiber, corn starch, and guar gum, which makes tofu cat litter no big problem in terms of "formaldehyde content". Generally, the formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter meets the standard, and the content will be much lower than that required in the standard. The excessive formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter is mainly caused by unscrupulous merchants using industrial glue instead of guar gum or even wood powder instead of pea fiber in order to reduce production costs. If these wood powders were pulverized from plywood, the formaldehyde would be higher. This is also one of the reasons why the formaldehyde content in pine wood cat litter has always been a concern.
What are the harms of formaldehyde in tofu cat litter?
Formaldehyde is a gas that is harmful to the human body. In daily life, formaldehyde exceeding the standard is more common in newly renovated houses and new furniture. Formaldehyde mainly enters the human body through the respiratory system and causes harm. After inhaling air containing formaldehyde, you will feel shortness of breath, cough, and chest tightness. Long-term exposure may cause chronic pneumonia and decreased lung function; long-term inhalation of formaldehyde can damage the immune system, resulting in impaired immunity, and patients are prone to repeated colds, fever, and other symptoms, and even lead to the occurrence of tumors, especially leukemia, lymphoma, etc.; inhalation of formaldehyde can cause damage to the nervous system, and patients experience dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, lethargy, and other symptoms. In addition, the conjunctiva of the eyes is more sensitive to formaldehyde, and those who have been exposed for a long time will experience symptoms such as dry eyes, tearing, and photophobia.
Cats are very sensitive to the formaldehyde in the air. The main harms of formaldehyde are the stimulation and mutagenic effects on the skin and mucous membranes. Cats are mammals like humans. When cats are groggy, lacking vitality, and always motionless, it is likely to be formaldehyde poisoning.
The formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter is extremely low, and the amount of tofu cat litter is not large, which determines that the total amount of formaldehyde brought by tofu cat litter is not large, and it will not have a great impact on the formaldehyde concentration in the indoor environment. Compared with newly renovated houses and new furniture, the formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter can be said to be minimal. In general, the formaldehyde in qualified tofu cat litter will not have an impact on our own and our cats' health. But we still need to pay enough attention to low-quality cat litter. Although excessive formaldehyde will not have much impact on us, it may be a big threat to cats who have been in contact with cat litter for a long time.
Formaldehyde detection method for tofu cat litter
To detect formaldehyde content in tofu cat litter, we can buy a special testing instrument. Generally, the price of testing instruments on the market is not high, and the detection is convenient and fast. The specific method is: put the cat litter and the testing instrument in a transparent plastic box, seal it, let it stand for about 5 minutes, and record the value detected by the instrument. If the detected value is less than 0.08mg/m3, the test sample is qualified. For details, please refer to our tofu cat litter detection video on YouTube by the link: https://youtu.be/U-7FhUlrf_g.
The easiest and most common way to remove formaldehyde is to ventilate. Open doors and windows to ensure air circulation, so that harmful gases such as formaldehyde precipitated in the room can be dispersed to the outside in time. This method is not only low-cost but also hassle-free. In addition, some plants can not only absorb harmful gases such as formaldehyde but also convert formaldehyde into harmless substances through an ability similar to photosynthesis. For example, common green dill, spider plant, aloe vera, etc., placing these plants in the home can not only absorb formaldehyde but also add more greenery to the new home.
