Inhalation, Dermal Exposure to Formaldehyde Presents Unreasonable Risk to Workers, EPA Says
In its final risk evaluation for formaldehyde, EPA states with “high confidence” that inhalation and dermal exposure to the chemical presents unreasonable risk to workers, especially in settings where formaldehyde is made or used. The agency used skin sensitization to evaluate dermal exposure and examined the possibility for workers to develop skin sensitization following contact with formaldehyde through liquid products containing the substance. To evaluate acute air exposure to formaldehyde, EPA used sensory irritation, a health effect it notes is commonly used as a parameter for setting occupational exposure limits. The agency also recognizes the risk of long-term or chronic inhalation exposure to formaldehyde, which can reduce lung function, increase asthma and allergy-related conditions, and cause cancer. According to a toxicological review of the substance published by EPA last year, formaldehyde inhalation can cause nasopharyngeal cancer, sinonasal cancer, and myeloid leukemia.
The risk evaluation for formaldehyde underwent peer review by the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals, which provides independent advice to the EPA administrator on risk assessments, methodologies, and approaches related to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). One area of concern identified by some peer reviewers was that the non-cancer chronic effects EPA used to calculate risk estimates for workers were based on effects observed in children. In response, EPA has based its unreasonable risk determination for formaldehyde to workers on acute, non-cancer effects, such as sensory irritation, due to peak inhalation exposures; non-cancer effects, such as skin sensitization, due to dermal exposures; and cancer risk due to long-term or chronic inhalation exposures.
“This overall conclusion is based on the magnitude of the difference between the exposure and the hazard values and because most of the inhalation data are based on recent workplace monitoring data from multiple sources for multiple sites,” EPA explains in its executive summary (PDF). “Therefore, these are expected to be reflective of current industrial practices.”
EPA states that it modeled dermal exposures but that the agency is “confident in the unreasonable risk to workers identified.”
As part of the risk management process, EPA plans to propose a rule under TSCA legislation intended to protect workers and others from the unreasonable risks of formaldehyde exposure. Additional information can be found in the agency’s news release from Jan. 2.
