PSA: The Poisons of Cheap ☠️
Medium-density Fiberboard (MDF)

Pick a category–any category–and one could likely uncover, with a varied degree of digging, how the want of profit has poisoned it some how—the food system, health sciences, manufacturing, film, music, education, the environment, a pair of sneakers, your mental health, social media, and on and on and on. Greed has rigged most systems that coincide with our daily living, the worst often indiscernibly as we embark upon a perpetual climb to a “success” normed by materialism and self-interest. Though I can rant about this predicament all day, today I am going to write about one seemingly innocuous component… furniture. And in this case the poisoning is quite literal.

In March of 2019 I collapsed in my apartment–suddenly and inexplicably. I rose up from tying my shoe and the view of the room shifted a jarring 90 degrees as if turned by a dial. My body, immediately responding to the shift of perception, threw itself to the floor. I was shaken, confused and scared, but I left for work as I quickly recovered my orientation.

Later in my classroom I was terrified I’d collapse again. And because I had no idea why I had fallen, an intense wave of anxiety came over me. When an astute student picked up on my state, my anxiety grew. I had to call my assistant principal in to cover my class. At this point I was within a state of panic and I had to leave work. Feeling dizzy and disorientated, perhaps at this point psychosomatically, I called a friend who met me by the school to help me get to the subway safely as my footing was very unsteady and my heart was racing. I had no idea what had come over me. My body has always been a very clear communicator and I have grown adept at understanding. But the incident was a mystery.

Then… when I re-entered my apartment, it hit me. It being the strong odor of fumes from a shelf that sat in pieces waiting for me to assemble it. I knew I had learned of the hidden cost of the deal I had just gotten on the shelf… the P2 MDF or Medium-density Fiberboard that made up its parts were “off-gassing” in my apartment for several days. The cheap and unnatural chemical-laden pieces really impacted my relatively clean system. I dug deep, disturbed how this cheap material was leeching formaldehyde in my home without my knowing. And it’s just allowed to happen.

Yes, in the name of profits toxic particle board now replaces wood just like chemical laden food products replace whole foods. With the goal of mass production and highest profit prioritized well above our own health, industry has chipped away at this Earth. And we invite products that leech the evil of their careless construction into our homes—proven carcinogens, endocrine disruptors impacting male and female fertility, birth defects and other reproductive harm. From the flame retardants in your sofa, mattress and cushions to your to the hormones injected in your meat to the pesticides on your fruits and veggies… our bodies, our homes and “our” planet are being poisoned.

Thankfully California, who has fought for these items to be labeled with warnings, is helping to make identifying harmful toxins easier. Look for Proposition 65 warnings if you plan a purchase… and allow a period of off-gassing to occur in a well ventilated area if need be.

This is the end of my Public Service Announcement.

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