The Formaldehyde Council of Australia and New Zealand, FCANZ, is an industry group that represents manufacturers and users of formaldehyde.
Our primary objectives are to encourage accurate scientific evaluation of formaldehyde and formaldehyde based materials and to communicate sound scientific information relating to the uses, benefits and sustainability of these products to relevant regulatory and administrative bodies and the general public.
We aim to promote and support a sustainable Australasian Formaldehyde products industry based on the pursuit of industry best practice
Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring compound that has many uses in the natural environment as well as in industry.
Formaldehyde first became commercially available as a antibacterial but today it has many uses.
As with all products they need to be handled and used in the correct way. Follow the link to get the latest information.
Formaldehyde is a simple molecule made up of Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen. It is a gas in its pure form but is commercially used as a solution of Formaldehyde in water often called formalin or formol.
It was first discovered back in 1859, but it has been in existence for millennia because it is the basic molecule used by many organisms.
Formaldehyde is all around us not just in manufactured products but in our own bodies as well as other animals, plants and micro-organisms because all normal functioning cells produce and use formaldehyde. Formaldehyde in the atmosphere can also be broken down through a process called photo-degradation.
The positive news is that because formaldehyde is metabolised or broken down so easily it doesn’t accumulate in the body or in the natural environment. In fact it is part of the natural environment.
Formaldehyde first came into commercial use for its antibacterial properties and today it has many other industrial uses. In Australia approximately 55,000 tonnes of Formaldehyde (100%) is manufactured for industrial use each year.
It is used as a part of:
-the glue or adhesive in pressed wood products such as particleboard, hardwood plywood, and medium density fiberboard (MDF);
- preservatives in some paints, coatings, and cosmetics;
- the coating that provides permanent press quality to some fabrics and draperies;
- the finish used to coat paper products;
- the resins to manufacture products such as dashboards for cars
- disinfectants, cosmetic conservatives, pharmaceutical antiseptics, etc.
Formaldehyde is also used in vaccines as a preservative to prevent bacterial or fungal contamination that could cause serious infections. Products based on formaldehyde also play an important role for innovative and high-tech applications such as landing gear, brake pads and tire cord adhesives in the aircraft industry
As with all products there is a need to handle and use them in the correct way. We have compiled a list of potential health concerns for Formaldehyde. When reading this you need to consider the risk of these effects. Risk is a combination of the consequence (e.g. rash or cough) and the likelihood of this happening. In the case of cancer risk for example the consequence is potentially very undesirable but the likelihood is very small so the risk is very low.
The most recent review of Formaldehyde use published by Australian Authorities is the Priority Existing Chemical Assessment Report No. 28 published by the National Industrial Chemical Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) in 2006. In this report NICNAS reviewed the health effects of formaldehyde. The report found that the potential health effects were sensory irritation, skin sensitisation and possible cancer from inhalation. However the risk based on the likelihood of this occurring was low.
The formaldehyde industry believes that formaldehyde can and is being used safely in its industrial applications. When these products are used in their various commercial applications they pose no significant risk to the public.
Formaldehyde can be irritating to the eyes and nose this is called sensory irritation. Sensory irritation is caused by the chemical stimulation of the tregeminal nerve in the nose. This results in a stinging or burning sensation. The level that this occurs is difficult to measure because the effect is very subjective much like the detection of an odour which uses stimulation of the same nerves.
While some agencies have used a level as low as 0.1 ppm as a threshold for irritation, an expert panel found that a level of 0.3 ppm would protect against nearly all irritation. In fact, the expert panel found that a level of 1.0 ppm would avoid eye irritation -- the most sensitive endpoint -- in 75-95% of all people exposed (Paustenbach).
It should be noted that this effect is different from skin irritation or corrosivity used for hazard classification, which are based on physical damage to the cells whereas sensory irritation is a nerve response.
The effect is immediately reversible. If the source of formaldehyde is removed the effect ceases immediately. Because of the strong odour of formaldehyde the user is protected
NICNAS makes the following comment regarding the risk of sensory irritation to the general public.
“The risk of sensory irritation to the public is also low based on the comparison of the NICNAS proposed ambient air standard (80 ppb, see Recommendation 17) and the estimated formaldehyde levels in ambient air.”
Sensory irritation is also different to Asthma. NICNAS made the following comments on Asthma related to formaldehyde exposure.
“Furthermore, although asthmatics are thought to be more sensitive to irritants, studies by Green et al. (1987), Sauder et al. (1986; 1987) and Witek et al. (1987) have demonstrated that at concentrations of 2 - 3 ppm (2.4 - 3.6 mg/m3) for up to 3 hours, asthmatics were no more sensitive to formaldehyde than nonasthmatics.”
Sensory irritation is also different to Asthma. NICNAS made the following comments on Asthma related to formaldehyde exposure.
“Furthermore, although asthmatics are thought to be more sensitive to irritants, studies by Green et al. (1987), Sauder et al. (1986; 1987) and Witek et al. (1987) have demonstrated that at concentrations of 2 - 3 ppm (2.4 - 3.6 mg/m3) for up to 3 hours, asthmatics were no more sensitive to formaldehyde than nonasthmatics.”
Formaldehyde solution (Formalin) can cause skin sensitisation (contact allergy or dermatitis). Therefore it is recommended that protective gloves be worn when handling Formaldehyde solutions.
There is no human data to suggest that Formaldehyde gas causes skin sensitisation.
Concern about whether formaldehyde might cause cancer in humans arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when it was discovered that high levels of formaldehyde (6-15 parts per million) caused nasal cancer in laboratory rats. Low levels (at or below 2 ppm) did not cause cancer in the animals, and scientists set about trying to learn why this was the case.
Scientists now have a good understanding of how formaldehyde causes nasal cancer in animals at high levels. Unless levels get high enough to kill cells, nasal cancer is not expected to occur. Thus, at the levels to which people are exposed, most scientists believe that there is essentially no risk of any form of respiratory cancer. An international review completed in 2002 stated this in more formal scientific terms: "There is no convincing evidence of increased risks of nasopharyngeal cancer in cohort studies of populations of professionals or industrial workers exposed to formaldehyde, since the total number of cases of this rare cancer is small."
NICNAS provided the following comments on cancer:
“The possible relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer has been studied extensively in experimental animals and humans. There is clear evidence of nasal squamous cell carcinomas from inhalation studies in the rat, but not in the mouse and hamster. Although several epidemiological studies of occupational exposure to formaldehyde have indicated an increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancers, the data are not consistent. The postulated mode of action for nasal tumours in rats is biologically plausible and considered likely to be relevant to humans.
There are also concerns of an increased risk for formaldehyde-induced myeloid leukaemia, however, the data are not considered sufficient to establish a causal association. In addition, there is currently no postulated mode of action to support such an effect. NICNAS will maintain a watching brief on the issue of leukaemia and formaldehyde exposure. Based on the available nasopharyngeal cancer data, formaldehyde should be regarded as if it may be carcinogenic to humans following inhalation exposure.”
As a result NICNAS classified Formaldehyde as a Category 2 carcinogen, Risk phrase R49, may cause cancer by inhalation). Further comment by NICNAS on the risk associated with formaldehyde exposure by the public:
“Based on the CIIT carcinogenic risk estimates of formaldehyde to humans (see table above), the public health risk of respiratory tract cancer after repeated exposure to formaldehyde levels in ambient air is low (less than 1 in a million)”.
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