Compliance · WHO
WHO Indoor Air Quality Guidelines (2010): formaldehyde
Indoor air: health-based guideline (selected value)
The World Health Organization's Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants (2010) are a set of health-based reference values for pollutants that commonly affect the air inside homes and workplaces. Among the most widely cited is the guideline for formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound released indoors by pressed-wood furniture and cabinetry, some insulation, adhesives, paints, flooring, and combustion. The WHO sets a short-term guideline value intended to prevent both sensory irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat and, at higher exposures, more serious respiratory effects.
The standard
What the WHO Indoor Air Quality Guideline for Formaldehyde Is
The guideline is a scientific recommendation, not a regulation, but it is the reference many countries, building standards, and product-emission schemes point to when defining acceptable indoor formaldehyde. The value itself is given in the limit table on this page.
Limit values
WHO indoor 2010 Limit Values
Every value WHO publishes for the parameter below, with its averaging period, as the standard states it.
Who it applies to
Who Uses It
Building owners, employers, architects, indoor-air-quality consultants, and public-health authorities use the WHO formaldehyde guideline as the benchmark for judging whether an indoor environment is healthy. It is especially relevant in new or newly refurbished buildings, where fresh furniture, joinery, and finishes off-gas formaldehyde most strongly, and in schools, offices, homes, and healthcare settings. Green-building and healthy-building certification schemes frequently adopt the WHO value, so designers and facilities managers use it to specify low-emission materials and adequate ventilation.
Monitoring
How Monitoring Demonstrates Compliance
Formaldehyde is assessed by measuring its concentration in indoor air and comparing it against the guideline value in the limit table on this page. Emissions from furnishings and finishes decline over weeks to months but rise again with heat and poor ventilation. A continuous monitor that logs formaldehyde over time therefore gives a far more useful picture than a single spot reading, showing how concentrations respond to temperature, humidity, and the ventilation rate. Formaldehyde is one of several parameters the Aethair family of indoor monitors measures in a single built-in device, so it is usually tracked alongside PM2.5, carbon dioxide, and total VOCs rather than with a dedicated instrument, letting the whole indoor-air picture be seen at once.
Recommended
best match-
Aethair IAQ built-in sensors
Compact plug-in monitor with every sensor built in, nothing to add. Ideal for straightforward indoor air quality monitoring.
Built-inFormaldehyde (CH₂O)Also measures 12 more
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)Dew PointHeat IndexRelative HumidityParticle Count (by size)PM1PM10PM2.5Total PM / Mass Conc.Barometric PressureAir TemperatureVOC (Total)
Alternative
Aethair PRO-
Industrial monitor for indoor and outdoor sites. Built-in sensors cover the essentials, and hot-swappable gas sensor cartridges and a differential-pressure option add more.
Gas 1
Free: one more gas sensor cartridge
Gas 2
Free: one more gas sensor cartridge
MultiSense
Aethair MultiSense
Formaldehyde (CH₂O)Simultaneous electrochemical detection of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde at…
Expansion
Free: differential pressure
Also measures 15 more
Dew PointHeat IndexRelative HumidityIlluminance / LightParticle Count (by size)PM1PM10PM2.5Total PM / Mass Conc.Barometric PressureEquivalent Continuous Level (Leq)Sound Pressure Level (SPL)Air TemperatureNitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)
Who measures each parameter
| Parameter | Aethair PRO | Aethair IAQ |  External |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde (CH₂O) | MultiSense cartridge | Built in | — |
Devices
Devices That Cover WHO indoor 2010
How much of this standard one Aethair monitor covers, followed by the third-party instruments in the sensor catalog that measure its parameters. Each connects to Environet through a Thiamis gateway, which adds whatever the monitor leaves out.
Aethair monitors
Solutions
Solutions Judged Against WHO indoor 2010
Healthcare Air Monitoring
Clinical air quality, pressurization, and patient safety
Indoor Air Quality
Offices, schools, homes, and public buildings
School Air Monitoring
Classroom CO₂, particulates, and campus IAQ
Questions
WHO indoor 2010 FAQ
Where does indoor formaldehyde come from?
It is released mainly by pressed-wood products (particleboard, plywood, and MDF in furniture and cabinetry), as well as by adhesives, some insulation, paints, varnishes, and flooring, and by combustion sources such as gas stoves and tobacco smoke. Emissions are highest when materials are new and increase with temperature and humidity.
Why is the formaldehyde guideline set to prevent irritation?
Formaldehyde irritates the eyes, nose, and throat at concentrations well below those causing more serious harm, and this sensory irritation is the most sensitive health effect. Setting the guideline to prevent irritation therefore also guards against the respiratory effects and cancer risk associated with higher, prolonged exposure.
Is the WHO guideline a legal limit?
No. It is a health-based recommendation from the WHO, not an enforceable regulation. Many national standards, building codes, and product-emission schemes nonetheless adopt or reference the value, giving it wide practical authority as the benchmark for indoor formaldehyde.
How do I monitor indoor formaldehyde?
Use a continuous indoor monitor that logs formaldehyde alongside temperature and humidity so you can see how ventilation and heat affect it. The Aethair family measures formaldehyde together with PM2.5, CO₂, and TVOC in one built-in device. Use the configurator to select the configuration for your space.
Monitor Against WHO indoor 2010
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