Formaldehyde Awareness

9 Formaldehyde Awareness D. What’s the Problem? General Health Effects Exposure to formaldehyde can result in various negative health effects. People who are exposed to small quantities over long periods of time could potentially develop: • sensitization to formaldehyde • cancer • reproductive effects • mutagenic effects Significant health effects can also result from shorter exposures at very high levels. Formaldehyde is a poison by ingestion and can be a strong skin irritant. Formaldehyde is easily absorbed through the skin and is the tenth most common cause of dermatitis. Exposure to high airborne concentrations of formaldehyde can lead to severe respiratory irritation and can result in permanent respiratory damage. Exposures to airborne concentrations over 100 ppm (parts per million) could result in convulsions, coma or death. Health effects from exposure to various formaldehyde concentrations are listed at the end of this section. General Health Effects of Formaldehyde Exposure* Reported Health Effects Approximate Formaldehyde Air Concentrations (ppm) Odor threshold 0.05 - 1.0 Eye irritation 0.01 - 2.0 Eye/nose/throat/respiratory system irritation 1.0 - 3.0 Unable to tolerate prolonged exposures 4.0 - 5.0 Severe respiratory symptoms, difficulty breathing 10.0 - 20.0 Serious Injury to respiratory tract > 50.0 Death > 100.0 * Sources: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Inc.: Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values & Biological Exposure Indices, Seventh Edition, ACGIH, Cincinnati, OH (2015) International Agency for Research on Cancer: IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans, Vol. 88, Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxypropan-2-ol. IARC, Lyon, France (2006)