Formaldehyde.

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Formaldehyde.

• By Pedro and Phavady

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What is it?

• Formaldehyde is a colorless, toxic, potentially
  carcinogenic, flammable, strong-smelling chemical
• Used in building materials and to produce many
  household products
• It is in pressed-wood products, such as
• Particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard glues and
  adhesives permanent-press fabrics paper
  product coatings
• Formaldehyde also occurs naturally in the
  environment
• It is produced in small amounts by most living
  organisms as part of normal metabolic processes

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What happens when it enters the environment?

• Formaldehyde is normally present in both parts
  indoor and outdoor air at low levels, usually
  less than 0.03 parts of formaldehyde per million
  parts of air.

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Why are they needed?

• During the 1970s, formaldehyde was been used a
  lot in household products
• Other potential indoor sources of formaldehyde
  include
• Stoves
• Wood-burning stoves
• Kerosene heaters

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How can we be exposed to the chemical?

• When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels
  exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may
  experience adverse effects such as
• Watery eyes
• Burning sensations in eyes, nose, throat
• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Nausea
• Skin irritation
• Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde

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How does it affect human health?

• Formaldehyde exposure are well known, less is
  known about its potential long-term health
  effects
• Formaldehyde exposure could cause cancer in
  humans

7
Is there a medical test to show whether someone
has been exposed to formaldehyde?

• No
• At the present time, there are no reliable tests
  to determine exposure to formaldehyde

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What kind of recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health?

• Federal OSHA Standards
• 1987 - from 3 ppm to 1 ppm
• May 1992 - standard was amended to 0.75ppm
• On July 7, 2010, President Obama signed the
  Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood
  Products Act into law

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Cohort Study

• A cohort is a group of people who may vary in
• their exposure to a particular factor, such as
• formaldehyde, and are followed over time to
• see whether they develop
• a disease.

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Cohort Study

• 11,039 textile workers studied by the National
• Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• (NIOSH)
• (NIOSH) found an association between the
• duration of exposure to formaldehyde and
• leukemia deaths
• A cohort study of 14,014 British industry
• workers found no association between
• formaldehyde exposure and leukemia deaths

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Work Cited

• http//www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/
  formaldehyde
• http//www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html
• http//www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemtest/formaldehyde/
  
• http//www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0419.htm
• http//healthvermont.gov/enviro/indoor_air/Formald
  ehyde.aspxthree