Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is commonly used as a preservative.
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling, flammable chemical that is produced industrially and used in building materials such as particleboard, plywood, and other pressed-wood products. In addition, it is commonly used as a fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories. Formaldehyde also occurs naturally in the environment. It is produced during the decay of plant material in the soil and during normal chemical processes in most living organisms. It is also a combustion product found in tobacco smoke.
How are people exposed to formaldehyde?
People are exposed primarily by inhaling formaldehyde gas or vapor from the air or by absorbing liquids containing formaldehyde through the skin. Workers who produce formaldehyde or products that contain formaldehyde—as well as laboratory technicians, certain health care professionals, and mortuary employees—may be exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde than people in the general population.
The general public may be exposed to formaldehyde by breathing contaminated air from sources such as pressed-wood products, tobacco smoke, and automobile tailpipe emissions. Another potential source of exposure to formaldehyde is the use of unvented fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, wood-burning stoves, and kerosene heaters.
Which cancers are associated with exposure to formaldehyde?
Studies of workers exposed to high levels of formaldehyde, such as industrial workers and embalmers, have found that formaldehyde causes myeloid leukemia and rare cancers, including cancers of the paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, and nasopharynx.
How can exposures be reduced?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends the use of "exterior-grade" pressed-wood products to limit formaldehyde exposure in the home. Formaldehyde levels in homes and work settings can also be reduced by ensuring adequate ventilation, moderate temperatures, and reduced humidity levels through the use of air conditioners and dehumidifiers.
Selected References:
- National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Formaldehyde, Workplace Safety and Health Topics. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available online. Last accessed February 14, 2019.
- National Toxicology Program. Formaldehyde, Report on Carcinogens, Fourteenth Edition. Triangle Park, NC: National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety, 2016. Also available online. Last accessed February 14, 2019.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Formaldehyde. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013. Available online. Last accessed February 14, 2019.
Related Resources
- Updated: February 14, 2019
- Carcinogen
EPA: Probable human carcinogen, based on limited evidence in humans, and sufficient evidence in animals. IARC: Carcinogenic to humans . NTP: Reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen
There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde causes cancer of the nasopharynx and leukaemia. Also, a positive association has been observed between exposure to formaldehyde and sinonasal cancer. There is sufficient evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde. The Working Group was not in full agreement on the evaluation of formaldehyde causing leukaemias in humans, with a small majority viewing the evidence as sufficient of carcinogenicity and the minority viewing the evidence as limited. Particularly relevant to the discussions regarding sufficient evidence was a recent study accepted for publication which, for the first time, reported aneuploidy in blood of exposed workers characteristic of myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, with supporting information suggesting a decrease in the major circulating blood-cell types and in circulating haematological precursor cells. The authors and Working Group felt that this study needed to be replicated. Formaldehyde is carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).
IARC. Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Geneva: World HealthOrganization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1972-PRESENT. (Multivolume work). Available at:http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/index.php, p. V100F 430 (2012)
Cancer Classification: Group B1 Probable Human Carcinogen
USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs, Health Effects Division, Science Information Management Branch: "ChemicalsEvaluated for Carcinogenic Potential" (April 2006)
CLASSIFICATION: B1; probable human carcinogen. BASIS FOR CLASSIFICATION: Based on limited evidence in humans, and sufficient evidence in animals. Human data include nine studies that show statistically significant associations between site-specific respiratory neoplasms and exposure to formaldehyde or formaldehyde-containing products. An increased incidence of nasal squamous cell carcinomas was observed in long-term inhalation studies in rats and in mice. The classification is supported by in vitro genotoxicity data and formaldehyde's structural relationships to other carcinogenic aldehydes such as acetaldehyde. HUMAN CARCINOGENICITY DATA: Limited. ANIMAL CARCINOGENICITY DATA: Sufficient.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Summary on Formaldehyde (50-00-0). Available from, as of December 15, 2014: http://www.epa.gov/iris/
A2; Suspected human carcinogen.
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances andPhysical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices. ACGIH, Cincinnati, OH 2014, p. 32
Formaldehyde: Known to be a human carcinogen.
DHHS/National Toxicology Program; Thirteenth Report on Carcinogens: Formaldehyde (50-00-0) (2014). Availablefrom, as of December 12, 2014: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/roc/roc13/index.html
CarcinogenIARC-1, NIOSH-Ca, NTP-R, OSHA-Ca, TLV-A1, EPA-B1
Health Effect Code(s)HE1, HE9, HE11, HE14
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation.
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, through the skin and by ingestion.
The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation and by ingestion.
inhalation, skin and/or eye contact
irritation eyes, nose, throat, respiratory system; lacrimation (discharge of tears); cough; wheezing; [potential occupational carcinogen]
Cough. Sore throat. Burning sensation behind the breastbone. Headache. Shortness of breath.
Cough. Sore throat. Burning sensation. Laboured breathing.
Redness.
Redness. Pain. Skin burns.
Redness. Pain.
Watering of the eyes. Redness. Pain. Blurred vision.
Watering of the eyes. Redness. Pain. Severe burns.
Redness. Pain. Burns.
Burns in mouth and throat. Nausea. Abdominal pain. Shock or collapse.
Burning sensation in the throat and chest.
Dermal (Skin), Gastrointestinal (Digestive), Immunological (Immune System), Respiratory (From the Nose to the Lungs)
Eyes, respiratory system
[nasal cancer]
27 itemsView More RowsOrganism Test Type Route Dose Effect Reference man TDLo oral 643 mg/kg (643 mg/kg) LUNGS, THORAX, OR RESPIRATION: RESPIRATORY OBSTRUCTION; GASTROINTESTINAL: ULCERATION OR BLEEDING FROM STOMACH; GASTROINTESTINAL: NAUSEA OR VOMITING Japanese Journal of Toxicology., 4(261), 1991 women LDLo oral 108 mg/kg (108 mg/kg) Practical Toxicology of Plastics, Lefaux, R., Cleveland, OH, Chemical Rubber Co., 1968, -(328), 1968 human TCLo inhalation 17 mg/m3/30M (17 mg/kg) SENSE ORGANS AND SPECIAL SENSES: LACRIMATION: EYE; LUNGS, THORAX, OR RESPIRATION: OTHER CHANGES JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association., 165(1908), 1957 [PMID:13480837] man TDLo oral 646 mg/kg (646 mg/kg) GASTROINTESTINAL: GASTRITIS; GASTROINTESTINAL: ULCERATION OR BLEEDING FROM STOMACH; GASTROINTESTINAL: NAUSEA OR VOMITING Japanese Journal of Toxicology., 4(261), 1991 women LDLo oral 1 mL/kg (1 mg/kg) BEHAVIORAL: COMA; CARDIAC: OTHER CHANGES; GASTROINTESTINAL: ALTERATION IN GASTRIC SECRETION Intensive Care Medicine., 23(708), 1997 - 1
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Resident Soil (mg/kg) 1.7E+01 Industrial Soil (mg/kg) 7.3E+01 Resident Air (ug/m3) 2.2E-01 Industrial Air (ug/m3) 9.4E-01 Tapwater (ug/L) 4.3E-01 Risk-based SSL (mg/kg) 8.7E-05
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