CAREX Canada

Full Profile

CAS No. 50-00-0

Photo: Wikimedia Commons^[1]

IARC Monograph Vol. 88, 2006 (Group 1)

IARC Monograph Vol. 100F, in prep. (Group 1)

General Information

Formaldehyde is a flammable and colourless gas with a pungent odour.^[2] It may also be referred to as formalin or methanal. There are numerous other synonyms and product names; see the HSDB for more information.^[3]

Formaldehyde is classified by IARC as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans, on the basis of sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and experimental animals.^[4] Epidemiological studies reviewed by IARC demonstrated consistently strong evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans; strong, but not sufficient, evidence that occupational exposure to formaldehyde causes leukemia; and limited evidence that formaldehyde exposure causes sinonasal cancer. A recent IARC review of Group 1 carcinogens reaffirmed this classification, with new, sufficient evidence for leukemia.^[17]

Additional health effects of exposure to formaldehyde include respiratory and eye irritation and contact dermatitis.^[3]

Formaldehyde has been ranked by CAREX Canada as Group A (immediate high priority) for both the occupational and environmental settings. Prioritization was based on the carcinogenicity and other toxic properties of the substance, the prevalence of exposure in Canada, and the feasibility of assessing exposure.

Regulations and Guidelines

Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL)

Canadian Jurisdictions	OEL (ppm)
Canada Labour Code	0.3 [c]
MB, NL, PE, NS	0.3 [c]
SK	0.3 [c, sen]
BC	0.3 1 [c, sen]
AB	0.75 1 [c]
ON	1 [stel] 1.5 [c]
QC, YT, NT, NU	2 [c]
NB	0.5 1.5 [stel]
Other Jurisdiction	OEL (ppm)
ACGIH 2011 TLV	0.3 [c]

ppm = parts per million

c = ceiling (not to be exceeded at any time)

sen = potential for sensitization

stel = short term exposure limit (15 min. maximum)

Canadian Environmental Guidelines

Jurisdiction	Limit	Year
Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines	No numerical guideline required*	2010^[6]
Residential Indoor Air Quality	1-hour limit: 100 ppb 8-hour limit: 40 ppb	1987^[7]
Cosmetic Ingredients Hotlist	Not permitted in aerosol cosmetics Non-aerosol cosmetics < 0.2% Nail hardeners < 5% Oral care products <0.1%	2007^[8]

*Currently available data indicate that it poses no health risk or aesthetic problem at the levels generally found in drinking water in Canada.^[5]

Formaldehyde was not included in other Canadian government environmental guidelines reviewed.^[15]

Canadian Agencies/Organizations

Agency	Designation/Position	Year
Health Canada	DSL – low priority substance (already risk managed)	2006^[9]
CEPA	Schedule 1, paragraphs ‘b’ and ‘c’	1999^[10]

Formaldehyde was not included in other Canadian government chemical listings reviewed.^[16]

Main Uses

Formaldehyde is used primarily in production of chemical intermediates (i.e. urea-formaldehyde resins, phenolic resins, etc.) for adhesives and binders in the wood products, pulp and paper, and synthetic vitreous fibre industries.^[2] In the wood industry, formaldehyde-based resins are used to make oriented strand board and other wood products.^[11] It is also used in the production of plastics and coatings, in textile finishing, and in the manufacture of various industrial chemicals.^[2]

As an aqueous solution, formaldehyde is an effective disinfectant and preservative that may be used in hospital wards, pathology labs, and funeral homes (as an embalming fluid).^[12] It is also used as a germicide, insecticide, and fungicide. As an antibacterial agent, it is found in soaps, shampoos, hair preparations, deodorants, lotions, cosmetics, mouthwash, and nail products.^[12]

Canadian Production and Trade

Production and Trade

Activity	Quantity	Year
Domestic Production	628,000 t	2006 (forecasted)^[11]
Domestic Consumption	600,000 t	2006 (forecasted)^[11]
Export: Mainly to the US	6,200 t of ‘methanal (formaldehyde)’	2010^[18]
Import: Mainly from the US	12,730 t of ‘methanal (formaldehyde)’	2010^[18]

t = tonne

Occupational Exposures

Inhalation is the main route of exposure for formaldehyde. Low level exposure may also occur via dermal absorption or ingestion.^[14] Currently, the 3 most important sources of formaldehyde exposure include decomposition of formaldehyde-containing resins, emissions from solutions (e.g. embalming fluid), and combustion sources (e.g. vehicle exhaust).^[19]

Although exposure to formaldehyde has decreased over time, exposure still occurs in a wide variety of occupations and industries. Occupations with acute exposure to formaldehyde include embalmers, pathology lab workers, wood and paper product workers, as well as health care professionals (nurses, dentists, and pharmacists) exposed during the use or clean-up of medical products and equipment.^[2,12] Historically, workers in varnishing of furniture and floors and in the garment and textile industries had the highest exposures.^[2]

In furniture manufacturing, formaldehyde is released during the preparation and application of varnishes or paints (especially when applied with a spray gun), and drying. The most exposed workers are therefore painters, manual labourers working at the dryers, and maintenance workers.^[20] In wood panel manufacture, formaldehyde is released when heating adhesives, and the most exposed workers are in press operating and maintenance.^[21]

Workers involved in the production of resins, man-made vitreous fibres and plastic products are potentially exposed to formaldehyde. Levels are expected to be low, however, because of improved ventilation and the development of resins that release less formaldehyde.^[2]

Environmental Exposures

The biggest source of environmental formaldehyde is combustion and combustion by-products from power plants, incinerators, refineries, wood stoves, kerosene heaters, cigarettes, photochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons and other formaldehyde precursors, and forest fires.^[2,12]

Other sources include vent gas and waste water from formaldehyde production, vehicle exhaust, and off-gassing from formaldehyde-containing products (e.g., fumigants, soil disinfectants, embalming fluid, leather tanning agents, building material resins, wood products and building materials, and resin-treated fabrics and paper).^[2,12]

Historically, the use of urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) resulted in potentially high concentrations of formaldehyde in homes (UFFI was banned in Canada in 1980).^[14]

Searches of environmental and consumer product databases yielded the following results on current potential for exposure to formaldehyde in Canada:

NPRI and US Household Products Database

NPRI 2009^[22]
Search term: ‘formaldehyde'
Category	Quantity	Industry
Released into Environment	1,050 t	Wood and forest products; pulp and paper (173 companies)
Disposed of	161 t
Sent to off-site recycling	3.9 t

US Household Products 2010^[23]
Search Term	Quantity	Product Type
'Formaldehyde'	45	Glues, insulations, baby and pet shampoos, hand soap, aquatic plant fertilizers