The Baseboards Strike Back

I’ve come to a horrible realization over the past week as I have been cutting and installing the baseboards and door moldings in the basement: I’m allergic to the wood that I’m using.  Well, that’s somewhat misleading because I’m not using real wood.  I’m actually using medium-density fiberboard or MDF as it’s more commonly called.  MDF is an engineered wood made by breaking down softwood into wood fibers and then combining it with a wax and resin binder.

Something that I’ve learned about it is that formaldehyde resins are commonly used to bind MDF together, and testing has consistently revealed that MDF products emit formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds that pose health risks at sufficient concentrations, for at least several months after manufacture.  Well, I think that I have some recently produced MDF in my basement.

I started cutting the MDF last week.  I didn’t really think anything of it until I noticed that I had developed a rash on my arms the next day.  That night, I was working in the basement again, cutting more MDF and nailing it to the walls.  The next day, I woke up with puffy eyes and a bad rash on my arms and neck; the areas that happened to be exposed while I was working the night before.

I figured that I was having an allergic reaction to the MDF but the basement needs to be finished so I kept working through Saturday.  Yesterday, I woke up, unable to open my eyes at all due to swelling.  I also had a fever and the rash was as irritating as ever as it had spread over more of my body.

Holly seems to think that the allergy has entered my bloodstream so I’m now forbidden to play with the MDF.  Fortunately, there are only two more pieces that need to be installed and one of them is already cut.  I’m thinking that I’ll have to get a friend to help me finish things up.

I still have to cut and install baseboards in the bathroom but I’ll be using pine.  I’ll need to use MDF when I build the subwoofer that will go in the basement but, again, I’ll see if I can get a friend to make the cuts me.  Hopefully, I’ll be back to normal within the next few days and never have to go through this again.

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