Occupational formaldehyde exposure and cancer risk

Abstract

Formaldehyde is a highly reactive, colorless gas that is used as a disinfectant and preservative and in numerous industrial applications, including the manufacture of a variety of products. The long‐term effects of formaldehyde exposure have been evaluated in epidemiologic studies. Occupational epidemiology studies have been conducted primarily in two areas, the medical and funeral services professions, and industrial and manufacturing settings. Several studies, including a large cohort study of formaldehyde exposed workers conducted by the National Cancer Institute found an increased risk of nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare tumor, in workers with high formaldehyde exposure compared to those with no exposure. Early surveys of formaldehyde‐exposed occupations, including funeral directors, embalmers, pathologists and anatomists conducted in the 1980s also showed increased mortality from leukemia and other lymphohematopoietic malignancies among these occupations. Results from the NCI‐led cohort study also indicated increased risk of leukemia with increasing formaldehyde exposure, with the strongest associations for myeloid leukemia. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified formaldehyde as a carcinogen for its association with nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia. The U.S. National Toxicology Program also classified formaldehyde as a carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens.