Quality Issues of Container Houses
The quality issues of container houses are mainly reflected in three aspects: fire safety hazards, insufficient wind resistance, and the risk of formaldehyde exceeding standards.
Fire safety hazards are a prominent problem with container houses. Firstly, the fire resistance of the buildings is poor, making them prone to collapse. Container houses are mostly supported by steel structures. In a fire, the temperature in the fire scene will quickly exceed the critical temperature at which the steel structure loses its static balance stability. Generally, an ordinary container house will lose its load-bearing capacity and collapse within about 10 minutes after a fire breaks out, seriously threatening the lives of personnel. Secondly, the core materials of the panels are easily ignited and spread rapidly. Some container houses use flammable materials such as polyurethane and polystyrene to fill the panel cores. These materials have low ignition points and poor flame retardancy. When exposed to high-temperature sparks, short-circuited wire beads, or open flames, they will immediately catch fire. Moreover, the honeycomb structure of the materials increases the contact area with the air, causing more intense combustion. Thirdly, the narrow internal passages of the buildings affect evacuation. Some user units, in pursuit of usable area, do not leave safety passages and evacuation spaces that meet regulatory requirements. They even occupy safety evacuation passages to build container houses. Once a fire occurs, personnel evacuation will be greatly hindered.
Insufficient wind resistance is also a common problem with container houses. There are cases where the labeled wind resistance rating of container houses does not match the actual situation. For example, a man in Haiyan, Zhejiang, bought a container house online. The label said the wind resistance rating was Level 10, but a Level 8 wind blew the house apart. The manufacturer explained that the label was just an advertisement and that no Level 10 wind test had been conducted on the house. For ordinary models to withstand strong winds, reinforcement is required, and the material requirements are high, resulting in different prices.
The risk of formaldehyde exceeding standards cannot be ignored either. Whether a container house contains formaldehyde depends on the materials used. If formaldehyde-containing glues and low-quality panels are used, the formaldehyde level may be seriously high, with some container houses having formaldehyde levels seven times the standard. Moreover, container houses have small spaces and poor ventilation, making it difficult for formaldehyde to dissipate. Some manufacturers even use recycled paper as packaging materials, which will release formaldehyde疯狂（此处“疯狂”应改为“疯狂地”，英文翻译保留原意“release formaldehyde in large amounts/release a large amount of formaldehyde ” ） in large amounts in humid weather, causing great harm to human health.
