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You Think It’s Just the Smell of a New Home? 🚨 It Could Actually Be the Strong, Irritating Smell of Formaldehyde! After Moving In, They Were Hospitalized Due to Formaldehyde Poisoning.

The chemical substance emitting the “new home smell” was what caused her to become seriously ill.

Report Date: August 17, 2024, 6:44 AM Reporter: Judith Tan

▲ 32-year-old Aden developed conjunctivitis and an eye wound infection caused by formaldehyde after renovating her apartment. Photo: The Straits Times / Luther Lau

She spent around S$40,000 transforming her new apartment into a comfortable living space, but the reality turned out to be far from the home she had envisioned.

In November 2023, the 32-year-old loan consultant had just moved into her apartment in the eastern part of Singapore when she began feeling unwell after only a few days. She asked to be identified only by her first name, Aden.

“My eyes, nose and throat had a burning sensation. Sometimes, I couldn’t breathe properly and experienced shortness of breath,” she told The Straits Times.

She was diagnosed with formaldehyde poisoning, which was confirmed only after she was referred to as an eye specialist.

Formaldehyde is widely used in building materials and household products. Products containing this chemical can release harmful emissions when exposure levels are high.

Formaldehyde is commonly found in the resins and adhesives used in wooden furniture, as well as in composite wood products such as plywood and fibreboard. Often associated with what people call the “new home smell,” formaldehyde can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, while long-term exposure has also been linked to certain types of cancer.

Aden said:

“I should have noticed something was wrong earlier, because every time I visited the apartment during the renovation, there was a strong, irritating smell. It was especially strong when the cabinets were being installed.”

Another warning sign she overlooked was that her two cats, Bobby and Fluffy, would stay on the balcony and refuse to go indoors.

▲ Aden was unaware that the level of formaldehyde toxicity in her beautifully renovated apartment was high enough to potentially kill a herd of wild horses. Photo: Supplied by Aden

She added:

“They were affected too. They kept their eyes closed, started losing fur, and Bobby developed red patches on his skin.

From January to March 2024, Aden was away from work and experienced no symptoms during that period. However, when she returned and spent just one day at home, she began feeling unwell again.

She said:

“The apartment had been kept closed up, so the toxic fumes had accumulated. My organs, especially my right eye, felt like they were on fire, so I immediately went to the Accident & Emergency Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).”

▲ Even after six rounds of treatment to remove the formaldehyde from her apartment, the formaldehyde levels remained above industrial safety standards, according to readings from a spectrophotometer. Photo: Supplied by Aden

Aden was diagnosed with a severe allergic reaction at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), but all the tests conducted to determine the cause of her allergy came back negative.

She was prescribed only antibiotics, and steroid eye drops and was then sent back to the apartment filled with toxic fumes.

“I texted the interior designer (ID) about it. He showed no sympathy at all. He even admitted that he had used the cheapest materials to complete my project,” Aden said, while playing a WhatsApp voice message from him.

“He also told me to keep the windows open and place charcoal around the apartment to alleviate the situation, saying that everything would be fine,” Aden added.

The Straits Times attempted to contact her interior designer by phone and email but received no response.

Mr. Benjamin Bala, Deputy Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at TSMP Law Corporation, said that because there are currently no legal or regulatory restrictions on the use of formaldehyde-containing compounds in renovation works, Aden’s main avenue for recourse would be to pursue a negligence claim against the contractor or interior designer.

He said:

“This would require her to prove that the materials used caused her illness, and that the contractor or interior designer knew or should have known that this was a possibility.”

“Even if they were unaware that the materials could cause such poisoning, excessive use of certain compounds known to contain formaldehyde could still constitute negligence.”

In recent years, Singapore media have reported several cases of people falling ill due to excessive levels of formaldehyde in household products, with homeowners seeking help to address such situations.

Since 2020, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has received 19 reports relating to formaldehyde levels arising from renovation works.

Like Aden’s case, one family moved into their new apartment at Normanton Park but became seriously ill within days. They were subsequently diagnosed with possible formaldehyde poisoning.

In January 2023, then Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said that the Government would give “serious consideration” to proposals from industry leaders to introduce formaldehyde emission limits for building materials and household products.

She made the comments when the Sustainable Spaces Alliance launched official guidelines and recommendations aimed at ensuring cleaner and greener indoor air.

The alliance had pledged in April 2022 to promote wider availability and adoption of low-formaldehyde-emission solutions among businesses and other organisations.

In August 2024, five Members of Parliament raised questions on the issue in Parliament, calling for further action.

Earlier in 2024, Singapore announced that it would ban the use of formaldehyde-containing paint for interior building applications from January 2026.

During a parliamentary sitting on August 6, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng said that the National Environment Agency was “actively studying” the issue, including reviewing international best practices, guidelines and regulatory requirements.

He did not specify when the review would be completed.

Currently, as there are no legal or regulatory restrictions governing the use of formaldehyde, Mr Bala of TSMP Law Corporation said homeowners concerned about the issue could include “express terms restricting the use of building or renovation materials containing formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)” in their contracts.

VOCs are chemicals that are used or produced in the manufacture of products such as paints, pharmaceuticals and refrigerants.

“For example, homeowners can specifically stipulate that, upon handover, the formaldehyde concentration within the interior space must not exceed a certain level. The current guideline level is below 0.08 parts per million (ppm).”

Homeowners can use a device known as a spectrophotometer to test whether formaldehyde levels are below the agreed limit.

“This would give homeowners a degree of certainty and assurance regarding indoor air quality after renovation, while also providing a clear basis for seeking legal remedies if any contractual terms are breached,” Mr. Bala said.

As for Aden, she had to seek a second medical opinion about her condition and was subsequently referred to an ophthalmologist.

▲ Aden’s right eye developed a wound infection because of conjunctivitis caused by formaldehyde. Her eyelid had to be stitched to accelerate the healing process.

Photo: Supplied by Aden

“The ophthalmologist told me that this was formaldehyde-induced conjunctivitis, with dryness caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) leading to a wound infection in my right eye. The eyelid of the affected eye had to be stitched to allow the eye to heal,” Aden said.

Aden was also referred to infectious disease specialist Dr Leong Hoh Nam. She was hospitalised for four to five days and received intravenous antibiotics.

Concerned about being infected again, Aden has been avoiding going out. She has since moved, along with her two cats, into her parents’ HDB flat.

She has hired a different contractor to remove the interior fittings, and renovation works in her apartment and renovate the entire home again.

“This could mean spending another S$20,000 to renovate my new home, on top of the S$40,000 I have already spent. There are also my hospitalization bills and ongoing medical treatment costs. I hope to be able to recover my losses,” she said.

Unfortunately, disputes involving formaldehyde may involve relatively small sums, while pursuing legal action could be “costly”, Mr. Bala said.

“Mediation may be one way to resolve such disputes,” he added.

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