I don't mean to nitpick but what's your source? Who says that 10-20%
of the U.S. poplulation has been adversely affected by formaldehyde?
Sorry but this is a button issue for me - the mere fact that something
appeared on the web is absolutely meaningless. If I believed, and
acted upon everything that has been published out there in the
InterNet Wasteland I'd probably be dead by now (or perhaps would have
blown up my house).
The formaldehyde thing has been hashed out here already (see the
archives). While the EPA has found formaldehyde to be a "probable
human carcinogen" or is it "a carcinogen" (I should read the archives)
it is my understanding that the EPA's methodology in determining the
long term toxic effects of chemicals is questionable at best.
-greg schmitz
On Tue, 25 Jun 1996 destowe@pipeline.com wrote:
>
> Please find a substitute for formaldehyde. As a retired Chemistry Teacher I
> would advise against using it as it is a "Probable Human Carcinogen" along
> with being a very toxic chemical. below see the information that I found on
> the Net.*
>
> *Webcrawler
>
> IS EXPOSURE TO FORMALDEHYDE HARMFUL?
>
> Yes, but just how harmful depends upon how intense the exposure is and how
> sensitive you are to
> the chemical. On the lower end of the scale, exposure to formaldehyde
> vapors can cause eye, nose
> and throat irritation, coughing, skin rashes, headaches, dizziness, nausea,
> vomiting, and
> nosebleeds. More seriously, the EPA has classified formaldehyde as a
> "Probable Human
> Carcinogen." (That means that they are sure it causes cancer in animals and
> they have compiled
> some evidence that it causes cancer in humans.)
>
> An estimated 10-20% of the U.S. population may be hypersensitive to the
> irritant effects of
> formaldehyde. Since even low levels of formaldehyde exposure can have a
> tremendous impact on
> their health, hypersensitive individuals must go to great lengths to avoid
> exposure to even small
> amounts of formaldehyde. Some people are effected so seriously that they
> have to build special
> homes that are free of formaldehyde containing materials.
>
> Occasionally, routine exposure to high levels of formaldehyde can cause
> sensitivity. For example,
> some people seem to have developed a hypersensitivity after breathing high
> levels of formaldehyde
> vapors during an office renovation or home remodeling project. Dealing with
> a severe reaction to
> formaldehyde is time consuming and very costly - not to mention physically
> uncomfortable or
> painful - so it's a good idea to avoid exposure to formaldehyde vapors
> whenever possible.
>
>
>
> Donald E. Stowe (Don) <destowe@pipeline.com>
>
>
>
>===for PGP Key finger Greg Schmitz <gws1@cunix.cc.columbia.edu>===
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