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1316456 
Journal Article 
Formaldehyde: Report Of The BOHS Autumn Conference 1983 
Ellison JMcK 
1984 
Yes 
Annals of Occupational Hygiene
ISSN: 0003-4878
EISSN: 1475-3162 
NIOSH/00142267 
28 
2 
259-266 
A conference report on the potential health hazards associated with the use of formaldehyde (50000) is reviewed. The most common commercial form is an aqueous solution containing 30 to 50 percent formaldehyde. It is widely used as feedstock because of its chemical reactivity and thermal stability. Formaldehyde reacts with proteins and possibly with DNA and occurs naturally in mammals as an intermediate metabolic product. The public may be exposed to formaldehyde gas during its manufacture and use in industry, pathology laboratories, carpets, and tobacco smoke. Both in solution and as vapor, it is severely irritating to the eyes; in solution, it is also irritating to the skin. Formaldehyde causes damage to the epithelium, which results in squamous metaplasia and then cancer. The predominant effect is non genotoxic, but genotoxicity cannot be ruled out and may play an important part at high doses. Studies have shown that formaldehyde can cause nasal cancer in rodents, although the epidemiological evidence from a factory study showed that incidence of lung cancer from formaldehyde was not statistically significant. Reports in the literature are not convincing with regard to concluding that formaldehyde is an inducer and may be non specific in its effect. Only when formaldehyde was suggested as a carcinogen did regulating bodies study it more seriously. Sampling and analytical techniques for formaldehyde include three types of requirements: continuous monitoring with continuous read out, short term samples giving readings immediately after sampling ends, and total weight analyses. The production of formaldehyde and its resins involves few workers, and occupational exposure results mainly from leaks. The author concludes that the evidence is inconclusive with regard to associating formaldehyde as a carcinogen in humans. 
DCN-129847; Industrial chemicals; Solvents; Skin irritants; Respiratory irritants; Eye irritants; Industrial hygiene; Biological effects; Carcinogens; Toxic effects; Employee exposure; Occupational exposure