Quote · Modern Wisdom
The Health Crisis Of Office Jobs - Bob King - #1098
Where this was said
The Hidden Danger of Off-Gassing
At 57:12 · chapter starts 55:25
The conversation pivots dramatically to indoor air quality. Bob King explains that virtually every standard desk is made of MDF — compressed sawdust held together by formaldehyde — and that carpets, paint, and most office materials constantly off-gas VOCs and carcinogens into the air workers breathe all day. The furniture industry, he reveals, has actively lobbied against ingredient-label requirements, with one major executive dismissively arguing that since people don't eat furniture, labels are unnecessary. King's rebuttal is devastating: we breathe it. Humanscale pioneered the Declare and HPD ingredient-label standards; at one point around 2018 they held approximately 80% of all such labels in the entire industry despite representing only 4-5% of revenue. Now organizations including Google and Harvard University require ingredient labels before approving any product for their spaces.
A major furniture executive argued that ingredient labels on furniture are ridiculous because 'we don't eat furniture.' Bob King's rebuttal was devastating: we breathe it. Formaldehyde in MDF, VOCs in carpets, and off-gassing paint are filling office air with carcinogens every day.
That smell you love in a new car or freshly finished room is volatile organic compounds — carcinogens off-gassing at their highest rate. Brand new is the worst time to move in. Bob King's fix: leave the windows down for the first 15-20 minutes of every drive.
The 'new car smell' and 'new room smell' are caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carcinogens off-gassing from materials — breathing them in regularly poses serious health risks.
Around 2018, Humanscale — a company with just 4-5% of the office furniture industry's revenue — held approximately 80% of all ingredients labels in the entire industry.
