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This document provides an overview of formaldehyde, including its history, uses, toxicity, regulation, and health effects. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas used to produce resins, textiles, and plastics. It is found naturally in the environment and can be hazardous in high amounts. The document discusses mechanisms of toxicity, occupational exposure studies, debates around its carcinogenicity classification, methods to reduce exposure, and treatment for effects of exposure.
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- 1. Formaldehyde Yumin Jeon Kevin Perrodin Deneshia Williams Sarah Dantin
- 2. Outline • Introduction • Toxicity • MOA • Hazard vs Exposure • OSHA Data • Benefits • Consequences • Conclusion
- 3. History • Formaldehyde was first reported in 1859 by Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov. • Formaldehyde was not conclusively identified until 1868. • August Wilhelm von Hofmann, a professor of chemistry identify formaldehyde and its structure.
- 4. Introduction • Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas with a strong, pungent odor. • In outdoor air it can originate from many sources such as: ▫ incinerators ▫ photo-chemical smog ▫ engine exhaust • Atmospheric levels of formaldehyde have been reported to range from less than 0.005 ppm to 0.06 ppm near: ▫ industrial outlets ▫ areas of heavy smog
- 5. Introduction • Formaldehyde is released to the atmosphere. ▫ Half is degraded in a few hours • Additional formaldehyde is removed by rain. • Formaldehyde occurs naturally in the environment. ▫ Biodegradable
- 6. What is formaldehyde used for? • Half of the formaldehyde produced is used to produce synthetic resins such as urea- and phenol-formaldehyde resins. ▫ particleboard ▫ fiberboard ▫ Plywood • Urea-formaldehyde concentrates are used in various coating processes: ▫ paper products ▫ making foams for thermal insulation • The textile industry uses formaldehyde for producing: ▫ creaseproof ▫ crushproof ▫ flame resistant ▫ shrin proof fabrics • Acetal resins, made from formaldehyde, are used: ▫ to mold plastic parts for automobiles ▫ home appliances ▫ hardware ▫ garden ▫ sporting equipment
- 8. Formaldehyde Toxicity Occupation Cohort Study • 7680 men who have been employed before 1965 ▫ Plastic factories Used formaldehyde to manufacture plastic ▫ No deaths from nasal cancer ▫ No excess mortality was found for cancers
- 9. Mechanism of Action • Formaldehyde is readily absorbed following inhalation and ingestion, but poorly absorbed following dermal exposure • Formaldehyde is highly water-soluble and exists in water almost exclusively in a reversible hydrated form (methanediol). Thus, less than 0.1% of formaldehyde can be considered “free” once it enters the body. • Highly reactive at the site of entry and reacts readily with macromolecules, including DNA to form DNA-protein and DNA-DNA cross-links. • Formaldehyde is oxidized to formate by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase- 2(ALDH2) or via a two-enzyme system that converts nonenzymatically formed glutathione adducts(S-hydroxymethylglutathione) to the intermediate S- formylglutathione, which is then metabolized to formate and glutathione by S- formylglutathione hydrolase. • Formaldehyde is produced as a normal metabolite and also in the oxidative demethylation of xenobiotics. • Formaldehyde disappears from the plasma with a half-time of about 1–1.5 minutes, most of it being converted to carbon dioxide and exhaled from the lungs. Smaller amounts are excreted in the urine as formate salts and several other metabolites.
- 10. No Consensus, No Conspiracy • Findings on formaldehyde were not conducted using scientific consensus • The American Chemistry Council(ACC) had lack of scientific consent • The National Toxicology Program (NTP) published twelfth Report on Carcinogens, and lists formaldehyde for the first time as a carcinogen • Formaldehyde previously listed in “likely” category
- 11. Issues with the Report on Carcinogens? • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had also released similar findings about formaldehyde being listed in the “likely” category. Where the issue arises: • -The EPA’s report had just come under scrutiny and criticism for its methods and conclusions in a review from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). • -Report on Carcinogens did not reflect the conclusions of the American Chemical Council about formaldehyde causing leukemia.
- 12. Issues with the Report on Carcinogens? • NAS goes on to say: ▫ ”There are some recurring methodological problems that are similar to those which have been reported over the last decade” ▫ “The problems here are associated with the transparency of methods” • Many non-industry people who know the RoC think that the RoC has problems and that it needs a review.
- 13. Evaluation of Reports • Two changes needed in RoC: ▫ Strength vs. weight of evidence ▫ RoC review process itself • An important word in these evaluations is “weight.” • James Swenberg disagree’s with ACC looking solely at one criteria of study.
- 14. Amount of Exposure is Key • Industry workers are mainly exposed to high levels of formaldehyde. • According to NAS, the EPA did not contain a criteria on which to judge the quality of the exposure assessment • Formaldehyde is absorbed primarily at the site f first contact which is the nose and upper throat, so it makes it highly unlikely to appear in the blood or bone marrow as an intact molecule to cause leukemia
- 15. Benefits • Industrial applications • Disinfectant and biocide • Embalming agent • Drug testing • Cosmetics • Medicine & Vaccination
- 16. Benefits continued… • Products that contain formaldehyde account for $127 billion in GDP for the U.S. • Allows for more than 3.6 million jobs • To replace this chemical in production of products would cost $17 billion per year.
- 17. Exposure • Small amounts can be found in fish, vegetable, air, clothes, and in the home. • When a product is new formaldehyde vapors are at a higher level but drop as the product ages. • Routs of exposure ingestion, inhalation, and absorption • Occupations such as: ▫ Oil field workers ▫ Textile workers ▫ Drug makers ▫ Botanists ▫ Etc.
- 18. Hazard • Is a known irritant, corrosive substance and a flammable liquid. • On contact can cause burns, ulcers, rapid breathing • HPA states that the general population is unlikely to be exposed to cause adverse health effects.
- 19. Health Effects • Acute toxic effects via inhalation are: ▫ Eye, nose and throat irritation ▫ Skin irritation ▫ Effects on the nasal cavity ▫ Coughing ▫ Wheezing ▫ Chest Pains ▫ Bronchitis ▫ Corrosion of the GI tract ▫ Inflammation and ulceration of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach
- 20. Hazards regulated • With the use of formaldehyde there are many regulations • OSHA ▫ PEL in the workplace is limited to 0.75 ppm of air ▫ And a limit or 2ppm at a maximum exposure for 15 minutes ▫ Records on exposure have to be kept for 30 years.
- 22. Treatment • There is no antidote for formaldehyde, but its effects can be treated. • Specific tests to detect presence of formaldehyde ▫ Blood and urine analyses ▫ If seizures or convulsions have occurred neurobehavioral toxicity testing may be conducted. • Use of Neutralex is recommended since according to instructions it will reduce formaldehyde concentrations to well below 0.1%.
- 23. Can I reduce the amount of exposure in my home? • Higher formaldehyde levels are usually found in newer homes with new construction • Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act • Steps to reduce exposure: ▫ Use “exterior-grade pressed wood products (lower emitting because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins) ▫ Use air conditioning and dehumidifiers to maintain moderate temperature and reduce humidity levels ▫ Increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde into home
- 24. Conclusion • Due to inconsistencies in the EPA report and the criteria not being properly followed: ▫ The mode of action for formaldehyde-induced leukemia has not been clearly established. Moreover, the highly limited systemic delivery of formaldehyde draws into question the biologic feasibility of causality between formaldehyde exposure and leukemia. Thus, substantial uncertainties remain.
- 25. Questions?
- 26. Reference • http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2012/10/10/is-industry- conspiring-to-suppress-that-formaldehyde-is-carcinogenic/2/ • http://www.ehs.washington.edu/epohazreduce/formalin.shtm • https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde- factsheet.pdf • http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-the-effects-of-formaldehyde- exposure.htm • http://www.crios.be/Formaldehyde/toxicology.htm • http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/hpawebfile/hpaweb_c/1219908739327 • http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/formaldehyde. html • http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/question/39242/35074 • http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6142316 • http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-111/
- 27. Reference • http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/drywall/docs/whatyoushouldknowaboutf ormaldehyde.pdf • http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/formalde.html • http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemtest/formaldehyde/ • https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde -factsheet.pdf • http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/hpawebfile/hpaweb_c/12199087410 42 • http://www.nclabor.com/osha/etta/indguide/ig31.pdf • http://www.meridianeng.com/formalde.html • http://www.formaldehydefacts.org/health_safety • http://ehs.okstate.edu/training/OSHAFHYD.HTM • http://www.toxies.com/files/Formaldehyde.pdf • http://www.shergarner.com/Publications/The-Next-Wave-of- Toxic-Tort-Litigation.pdf
Editor's Notes
- Formaldehyde was first reported in 1859 by Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov when he attempted to synthesize methylene glycol. Formaldehyde wasn’t conclusively identified until 1868. August Wilhelm von Hofmann, a professor of chemistry, set out to clearly establish both the structure and identity of formaldehyde, and was successful.
- Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas with a strong, pungent odor. -It can form explosive mixtures with air and oxygen. As an important industrial chemical of major commercial use, formaldehyde is found throughout the environment. In outdoor air it can originate from many sources such as incinerators, photo-chemical smog, and engine exhaust. -Atmospheric levels of formaldehyde have been reported to range from less than 0.005 ppm to 0.06 ppm near industrial outlets or in areas of heavy smog. -Workers who smoke are exposed to additional levels of formaldehyde, since cigarette smoke contains as much as 40 ppm of formaldehyde by volume. Thus, an individual who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day would inhale 0.38 mg,1,2 whereas occupational exposure to formaldehyde at 3 ppm could result in a daily intake of 29.0 mg.
- Formaldehyde released to the atmosphere is degraded rapidly by direct oxidation by sunlight, and by oxidation by photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals. About ½ is degraded within a few hours. Additional formaldehyde is removed by rain, or by solution in surface waters. In water it will biodegrade to low levels within a few days. Formaldehyde occurs naturally in the environment. Formaldehyde is biodegradable. That means it does not accumulate in the environment. And humans metabolize formaldehyde quickly so it does not accumulate in thebody
- Formaldehyde is usually manufactured by reacting methanol vapor and air over a catalyst (chemical initiator). It is also used in its solid form as paraformaldehyde and s-trioxane.
- A study done on British men who worked in a plastic industry where formaldehyde was used showed that there were no adverse effects such as nasal carcinogens from the exposures of high levels of formaldehyde. 7,680 men who had first been employed before 1965 in one of six factories in the British chemical or plastics industry where formaldehyde had been manufactured or used. No deaths from nasal cancer were reported and no excess mortality was found for cancers at any of the sites previously reported to be possibly associated with formaldehyde.
- The problem we discovered was that formaldehyde had been associated and linked to causing leukemia, but…. (Consensus- decision making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent of all participants and looks at different aspects of research from different studies.. This is not how they went about things before they threw formaldehyde under the bus by listing it as causative of leukemia.) The alleged conspirator in this case, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Has gone to publicize their every move in the situation, and their moves are based defensibly on the lack of scientific consent from various professionals about formaldehyde causing leukemia. The backstory on this is that the National Toxicology Program (NTP) has published its latest, twelfth Report on Carcinogens, and lists formaldehyde as a carcinogen for the first time, linking it to nasopharyngeal cancers (very rare) and some kinds of leukemia. We also noticed that formaldehyde was previously in the “likely” category in the report on carcinogens, which means there has been much skepticism about the issue for awhile now. -NAS wrote that without such a criteria the ultimate conclusion on the persuasiveness of the epidemiological studies would be based on a “subjective view of the overall data.”
- “You see, while formaldehyde might be causative in nasopharyngeal cancers from occupational exposure, the data from this report did not support saying that formaldehyde causes leukemia” - With the EPA, and Report on Carcinogens not reflecting the conclusions of the nation’s premier scientific body (American Chemical Council) about formaldehyde causing leukemia, this has produced a contradictory with the 12th RoC made by the national toxicology program. This in turn has lead to much public confusion and alarm.
- When the EPA came out with its report, called IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System), on formaldehyde, it received criticism for what the National Academy of Science (NAS) says “are some recurring methodological problems that are similar to those which have been reported over the last decade” by other IRIS review committees. NAS also went on to say that these problems are associated with “transparency of methods.” Judging from this, it looks as though there is a total lack of information about how they conducted their review of the scientific papers with findings related to formaldehyde. So how can one truly justify formaldehyde being linked to leukemia without clear review of methods and results? That’s basically jumping to conclusions without clear factual information. So its definitely not reliable as one would like to believe. Many non-industry people who know the RoC think that the RoC has problems, that its processes do need a review, and that the research related to formaldehyde likely demonstrates that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer, but fails to show that it causes leukemia. Ultimately, this doesn’t look like an industry conspiracy, and there’s no consensus about formaldehyde and its effects in humans, nor within the Report on Carcinogens itself.
- Here we take a look at the evaluation of the reports from James Swenberg James Swenberg- Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He should know a little about this since he was also was on the board of scientific counselors for the RoC for four years. Swenberg has two things he’d like to see change about the RoC process. One is strength versus weight of evidence. He explains that relying on strength of evidence focuses only on positive findings while relying on the weight of evidence looks at both positive and negative findings and weighs them. The second thing Swenberg would like to see changed is the RoC review process itself. “The other thing they’re doing,” he says, “is that when they have it nearly to a final position, they bring it to the board of scientific counselors, but the key point is that they don’t ask them to vote on it or lecture on various sections
- It’s important to note that all of the human studies correlating formaldehyde and cancers of any kind focused on people who experience high exposure levels because of occupation. The EPA did not set a framework for deciding how much weight to give the particular studies Without that criteria, the EPA studies is just based on “subjective view of the overall data”, not in depth in proving how it can cause leukemia.
- Industrial applications The textile industry uses them as finishers to make fabrics crease-resistant. Key to the manufacture of automobiles, and used to make components for the transmission, electrical system, door panels, axles and brake shoes. Disinfectant and biocide Kills most bacteria and fungi. Applied topically in medicine to dry the skin, such as in the treatment of warts. Embalming agent Used in embalming to disinfect and preserve human and animal remains. Drug testing Formaldehyde, along with sulfuric acid makes Marquis reagent, which can be used to identify alkaloids and other compounds. Cosmetics Found in nail polishes, nail hardeners, eyelash glues, hair gels, soaps, makeup, shampoos, lotions, and deodorants, etc. Help protect cosmetic products against contamination by bacteria during storage and during continued use. Medicine & Vaccination Used in the outer coating of pills and topical creams and to make artificial hear valves and limbs
- Neutralex- comes as a premeasured powder package that is an aldehyde neutralizer.