Nearly four of out of every five children's bedrooms in Shanghai contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical linked to cancer, according to a recent survey, which was paid for by a company that could potentially benefit financially from the findings.

The chemical is given off by substandard wooden furniture, plastic toys and curtains, experts said. The Shanghai Environment Protection Industry Association surveyed 99 bedrooms in the city last weekend, reporting about 75 percent of the rooms contained dangerous levels of the chemical. The association plans to survey another 200 rooms in the near future.

The survey was paid for by Yadu Technology Co, one of the country's leading manufacturers of indoor air purifying equipment.

All of the bedrooms were decorated within the last two years, and they were found to contain formaldehyde levels up to 16.8 times higher than allowed. The maximum amount allowed is 0.08 milligrams per cubic meter of air.

Local quality watchdog said they have noticed the problem and will strengthen checks on construction and decoration materials.

"Actually the situation has improved for some materials such as wooden flooring, but there's still more work to do," said Sun Yeyao, an official of the Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision.

(Shanghai Daily July 27, 2005)