When Was Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation Used?
The insulation was used in the 1970’s, most extensively from 1975 to 1978, during the period of the Canadian Home Insulation Program (CHIP), when financial incentives were offered by the government to upgrade home insulation levels. The insulation was banned in December 1980, in Canada. It is estimated that over 100,000 homes in Canada were insulated with UFFI (commonly pronounced “you-fee”). The insulation was also used extensively in the United States during the 1970’s, and has been used in Europe over the last thirty years. UFFI is still used in Europe, where it was never banned and is considered one of the better “retrofit” insulations. In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the sale of UFFI in the United States in 1982, and shortly thereafter a law prohibiting the sale of urea formaldehyde was enacted. In April 1983, the U.S. Court of Appeal struck down the law because there was no substantial evidence clearly linking UFFI to health complaints. UFFI is
