Formaldehyde: The concern in our occupational environment

The use of formaldehyde has been commonplace in a variety of different occupational settings. Our environment includes all things in our environment including the workplace. The use of formaldehyde (CH₂O) is of much concern to myself and those working in certain occupations. The most frequent users of this chemical are the manufacturing, funeral service, and healthcare industries. There has been shown to be a significant relationship between the use of formaldehyde and negative health outcomes among exposed employees (Raja & Saltana, 2012). Depending on the job title, individuals are at higher risk when exposed at higher frequencies and longer durations. In the funeral service industry duration of embalming practice and related formaldehyde exposures were associated with statistically significantly increased risk for mortality from myeloid leukemia (Hauptmann 2009). Mortality from myeloid leukemia increased statistically significantly with increasing number of years of embalming and with increasing peak formaldehyde exposure. These findings were cause of much concern in the scientific community supplemented by other research showing the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and disease. Further research was also done on these outcomes linking the occupational risk of exposure to formaldehyde in the manufacturing industry. Ultimately President Obama signed the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite-Wood Products Act into law in 2010, which set guidelines to protect the employees of this industry (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). Much is still to be understood regarding the harm of exposure. The exposure to this chemical is also variable depending on an individual’s specific job title within a specific industry. It is important to understand the occupational risks associated with chemical exposure so that informed decisions can be made with respect to risk. The research regarding the dangers caused by formaldehyde exposure has been more prominently focused on the short-term risks (Mandel, Trichopoulous, Adami & Cole, 2010). Being exposed to formaldehyde levels of .1 ppm in the air can cause watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure (National Cancer Institute 2011). Less research has been done in regards to the long-term risks of exposure to this chemical compared to the short-term risks. Embalmers use formaldehyde at a higher frequency in their occupational setting compared to other job titles, which makes them a high-risk population (Steinmaus et al., 2010). This exposure threat in the occupational environment if the most important to me because I have family members who work in the funeral service industry. It is important to be knowledgeable about this chemical because it contaminates our occupational environment making us at risk for negative health outcomes.

 

Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products. (2014, May 9). EPA. Retrieved  August 2, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemtest/formaldehyde/

Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk. (2011, June 10). National Cancer Institute.

            Retrieved August 2, 2014, from

            http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde

Freeman, L., Blair, A., Lubin, J., Stewart, P., Hayes, R., Hoover, R., et al. Mortality From             Lymphohematopoietic Malignancies Among Workers in Formaldehyde Industries: The National Cancer Institute Cohort. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 101, 751-761. Retrieved , from http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/10/751.full

Hauptmann, M., Stewart, P., Hayes, R., Lubin, J., Freeman, L., Hornung, R., et al. Mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer among embalmers exposed to formaldehyde. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 24, 1696-1708. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2794303/

Mandel, J., Trichopoulous, D., Adami, H., & Cole, P. Formaldehyde and lymphohematopoietic cancers: A review of two recent studies. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 58, 161-166. Retrieved August 2, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20736040

Raja, D., & Saltana, B. Potential health hazards for students exposed to formaldehyde in the gross anatomy laboratory. PubMed, 74, 36-40. Retrieved August 2, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22329207

Steinmaus, C., Smith, A., Smith, M., Zhang, L., & Schwilk, E. Formaldehyde and Leukemia: An Updated Meta-Analysis and Evaluation of Bias. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 52, 878-886. Retrieved August 2, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20798648