Formaldehyde (Formaldehyde (gas); Formaldehyde solution; Methylene glycol; Paraformaldehyde; Formalin; Oxymethylene)
Source: Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring gas. It is also manufactured for industrial uses. Formaldehyde is used as a disinfectant and preservative. Formaldehyde is also used in some keratin-based hair straighteners.
Some chemicals are added to cosmetics because they release formaldehyde slowly over time. Formaldehyde releasers include the following: diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, and polyoxymethylene urea. Other chemicals, such as cyclopentasiloxane, require high heat to release formaldehyde.
Potential health impacts: People are mainly exposed to formaldehyde by breathing it in. Formaldehyde is irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Being exposed repeatedly can cause allergic reactions of the skin (dermatitis) and the lungs (asthma).
Formaldehyde has been shown to be harmful to fertility and to pregnancy in people and in animals. Pregnant women who are exposed to formaldehyde are more likely to have a miscarriage. Studies of people who have been exposed to formaldehyde show that it causes cancers of the upper throat, the nose, and the sinuses. People who are exposed to formaldehyde are also more likely to get leukemia, a blood cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) considers formaldehyde a known carcinogen.
Additional resources:
CAS RN
50-00-0 / 463-57-0
Designated Lists and Hazards
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: Neurotoxicity
- California Air Resources Board, Toxic Air Contaminants: Carcinogenicity, Ocular Toxicity, Respiratory Toxicity
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment Reference Exposure Level: Ocular Toxicity, Respiratory Toxicity
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Proposition 65: Carcinogenicity
- California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water Notification Levels: Hepatotoxicity and Digestive System Toxicity
- European Community Annex VI to Regulation No. 1272/2008: Carcinogenicity - Cat. 1B
- International Agency for Research on Cancer: Carcinogenicity - 1
- National Toxicology Program, Report on Carcinogens: Carcinogenicity - Known
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Risk Information System: Carcinogenicity - B1
Reported Products Including Formaldehyde (Formaldehyde (gas); Formaldehyde solution; Methylene glycol; Paraformaldehyde; Formalin; Oxymethylene) (and all Synonyms)