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Q: Has anyone else been warned not to live in a new appartment for at least one month?
Apparently this is due to the risk of the formaldehyde in the chip board used for the kitchen cupboard carcasses, wardrobes, timber veneer floor etc. I am trying to explain that the biggest risk is when you are cutting sanding or drilling these things and you breath in the dust. Also formaldehyde is a volotile substance and continues to emit minute quantities vapor at room temperature for it's intire lifespan.
Of all the things in China that people should be wary of this is way way down the list but those I try and convince just tell me it is very dangerous, gives you cancer (while they light up another cigarette and blow it's smoke in my face)
While I'm at it I was just about to eat the "parsons nose" of a chicken the other night when it was ripped from my grasp. Apparently again there is some (little yellow bits) part of it that you can't eat. When I asked why. Yep you guessed it, cancer. After diligently removing the offending pieces it was now disarmed and safe to eat.
I try to show some science around these things but it doesn't even scratch the psyche and I just get the "wtf would you know looks"
what do you expect from a culture that believes hot water cures everything and everybody lives longer in china because they drink hot water. yes my cold dr pepper is going to kill me.
I've heard the thing about the apartments too. And actually also people say up to 6 months after painting. Here in the southern part of China, due to pretty high humidity year round, the emulsifier in paint needs to be something that will actually work. The local brands use some crappy chemicals and to be honest, the smell would keep me away if not any health risk. However, I would agree with you that it seems a bit excessive. A thing the Chinese have yet to understand. If it is good to stay out of a newly renovated apartment for 2 weeks, it is not 10 times better to stay away for 5 months. The "more is always better" culture really is at play here.
I cannot provide any science. But I did contact a paint company regarding paint last year, when we were having a painter do some incredibly shitty painting for us.
it is these things that cause cancer in china. not the pollution (water , air) or toxic food . it is not the ccp's fault. blame the chicken
This one is really legitimate, guys. Have you ever been inside a house while it is being constructed? I have. It is worse than being inside the interior of a new car. Everything expels noxious fumes. I wouldn't be surprised if they were carcinogenic. I would stay away at least a month.
We built our new home and the final touches were completed in December and we are yet to live in it together. My wife's mother absolutely refuses to "let her daughter live in that house" for the reasons described above. My wife fears the worst and is thinking about moving in around June. Mind boggling!
I was just told last night that depression causes cancer. But really, who the hell knows. Since everything else in China is made with poisonous/cancer causing chemicals, there is no reason to believe that the construction industry is any different.
The sad part is that Chinese people KNOW this, yet put up with it anyway.
the paperwork and keys and time to furnish the apartment usually take more than a month anyway, my wifes parents gave us an apartment and i spent 45000 on furnishings , had to keep the windows open for 2 months until the smell left, but i should be dead already, only the good die young, mean people live forever.
Never have....By the time they build the apartment it will probably be a month before you take a look inside anyways if not longer!
Scandinavian:
see, this is one of those things you should apologize for letting out.
It's hilarious trying to explain to Chinese people how some things are unhealthy. They just look at you like you're crazy.
Someone else said it best though, they drink hot water so everything is ok! 
:)
There's been nights I can't sleep at night because I know there most be something harmful in my apartment that's gonna make me die earlier than I should. I refuse to believe that in a country with such horrible health & safety standards that some how my apartment was magically built safe and healthy.
I am just thinking of re-coloring the walls in our rented flat. we are there 2nd year and we got lot of mildew on the wall corners and ceiling beside of bathroom. Last year our landlord asked some workers to repair small troubles with this, and their just paint over the afected places, without firstly removing the fungus base. They told us, that we do not keep open windows enough> ( fck, in a winter keep open windows all the day ? ).
We have check the material market, and some known brand of wall paint, 10 or 15kg bucket cost about 500rmb. But i am not sure, if even this expensive one does will be any way better than those for 100rmb. Any suggestions ? We can not live 1 month in hotel in Shanghai after painting 
Scandinavian:
Painting over mold is like pissing your pants to keep warm. Some paint will have ingredients to keep mold away, but if the walls have enough moisture to support mold, then the paint is not going to stick to the wall for very long.
The thing about keeping the windows open enough. Yes you will most likely not get mold all over your apartment if you have the windows open at all times. However if you keep them closed at all times and run a dehumidifier if it is needed you will certainly not get any mold growing.
Nessquick:
we open windows frequently, but not for long time. In shanghai the winter is not very cold, but there is lot of humidity in the air, so you feel like on siberia even just around 0 degree celsius. If not tight fitted enough, than is always a stream of fresh humid air inside.
And for sure, i will first remove the layer of paints before make new one.
Just my wife do not agree a lot, "because why would care if is not our own house" 
Chemical found in homes
The Shanghai Environmental Protection Industry Association said that it found excessive levels of formaldehyde during the summer in 70.5 percent of the 1,146 homes it inspected last year. It found 56.8 percent of the homes suffered the same problem during the other three seasons, the Shanghai Evening Post reported Thursday. The formaldehyde primarily comes from poor-quality materials and glues used in renovation and furniture.
