EPA Report Finds That Formaldehyde Presents an "Unreasonable Risk" to Public Health

[erronis]

https://www.propublica.org/article/formaldehyde-epa-report-public-health

The report was published weeks after a ProPublica investigation found that the chemical causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant and can trigger asthma, miscarriages and fertility problems.


I guess we cannot expect any positive actions for the next four years --- if ever again.

A long-awaited report from the Environmental Protection Agency has found that formaldehyde presents an unreasonable risk to human health. But the report, released Thursday, downplayed the threat the chemical poses to people living near industrial plants that release large quantities of the carcinogen into the air.

The health risk assessment was published weeks after a ProPublica investigation found that formaldehyde, one of the most widely used chemicals in commerce, causes more cases of cancer than any other chemical in the air and triggers asthma, miscarriages and fertility problems.

Our analysis of the EPA’s own data showed that in every census block in the U.S., the risk of getting cancer from a lifetime of exposure to formaldehyde in outdoor air is higher than the goal the agency has set for air pollutants. The risk is even greater indoors, where formaldehyde leaks from furniture and other products long after they enter our homes.

In its report, the EPA evaluated 63 situations in which consumers and workers encounter formaldehyde and found that 58 of them contribute to the chemical’s unreasonable risk to health — a designation that requires the agency to mitigate it. Among the products that can emit dangerous levels of formaldehyde in these scenarios, according to the report, are automotive-care products like car waxes, along with crafting supplies, ink and toner, photographic supplies and fabrics, building materials, textiles and leather goods.

...

[erronis]

1. Only way that trump could support clean air is if he stops breathing.

From the ProPublica article:

How — and whether — to rein in the risks of formaldehyde promises to be one of the first tests of the EPA under a second Trump administration. The relatively inexpensive chemical is ubiquitous, used for everything from preserving dead bodies to making plastics and semiconductors. On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly said he supports clean air. But he has also vowed to roll back regulations he views as anti-business — and industry has rallied around formaldehyde for decades.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Some preservatives used in cosmetics, shampoos, and the like work by releasing formaldehyde ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde#Disinfectant_and_biocide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde_releaser

I found one of these in one my shampoos. My sister had to switch shampoos because it was causing irritation of her scalp.

We need to worry about the FDA as much as the EPA.