Formaldehyde Awareness

8 Formaldehyde Awareness C. Formaldehyde - Its Various Uses and Forms Formaldehyde is a colorless chemical with a strong, pungent, irritating odor. For laboratory use, it is typically sold as Formalin, a methanol-stabilized water solution that contains 37%, 44%, or 50% formaldehyde. It is one of the most commonly produced chemicals in the United States, ranking 24 th overall in chemical production. Formaldehyde is used primarily in the production of resins, as an intermediate in the production of industrial chemicals (such as ethylene glycol), as a bactericide or fungicide, and as a component in many consumer products. Small amounts of formaldehyde can be found in many common consumer products. Examples include • cosmetics • permanent press clothing • fabrics, curtains, draperies, rugs • urea-formaldehyde foam insulation • particleboard, paneling, plywood, fiberboard • adhesives • paints, varnishes, wallpaper • resins, plastics • cigarette smoke Formaldehyde is also used in the funeral service industry, in pharmaceuticals as an antibacterial agent, by the oil industry in the preservation of oil well drilling and production fluids, and is a by- product of many industrial processes. At Iowa State University (ISU), formaldehyde is used primarily in laboratories to fix animal or plant tissues. Its uses range from tissue fixation of whole animal specimens for anatomy and biology courses to fixation of small tissue samples or cell cultures for research. It is also used in RNA analyses and occasionally as a fumigant in biological safety cabinets and animal rooms. Non-laboratory exposures to formaldehyde include pressed wood research, handling of packages containing formaldehyde, clinical samples preserved in formalin solutions, and work with formaldehyde containing resins.