MOSA - Medical Oxygen Society of the Americas

Note! These questions are frequently asked by students, the press, the authorities and the general public. Questions of a technical nature may be submitted to Formox directly.

Formaldehyde is a colorless, water-soluble gas (chemical formula HCHO, see the stylized symbol to the right) with a piercing, pungent odor. Formaldehyde is formed naturally in most living things. Industrially, it is usually derived from methanol by oxidation.

Formalin is a liquid – the aqueous solution of formaldehyde (i.e. formaldehyde dissolved in water), most commonly expressed as 37 wt-% concentration.

UFC, urea-formaldehyde concentrate, is a mixture of methylol ureas also containing free formaldehyde as well as di- and trimers. It is used as a precurser for UF resins and MUF resins. UFC may also be used in the production of certain fertilizers.

Formox formaldehyde plants can be designed to produce UFC instead of HCHO.

Yes! Thanks to its low cost, high purity and variety of chemical reactions, formaldehyde is an incredibly versatile building block for making an enormous range of other substances. This makes it one of the world’s most important industrial chemicals.

The wood industry is the single largest consumer (e.g. for glue for board materials), closely followed by the chemical industry (e.g. to make paints, plastics etc), each with close to half of the total market.

Yes. Because formaldehyde is such a powerful disinfectant, it stops decomposition of organic material and can therefore be used in these well-known applications (e.g. the frog in the jar in your biology classroom), which in fact account for no more than approx 0.0001% of the global formaldehyde production!

Formaldehyde-based resins are used as binders for wood composites: plywood, particleboard (also known as chipboard), OSB, MDF and compressed hardboard. Formaldehyde is also consumed in surface coatings (high- and low-pressure laminates, films and foils) and in general-purpose glues for furniture and other woodworking.

It is a building block for numerous synthetic polymers. These include traditional plastics (PF, UF and MF) as well as newer, high-growth products such as acetals, polyurethanes (through MDI) and polybutyl terephthalate (through 1,4-Butanediol). Polyols (alkyd resins etc.) are another big consumer. A wide range of specialty resins (e.g. for textile treatment) are also produced either directly or from hexamine (resins and detergents) and/or paraformaldehyde.

These include end-effect applications such as tanning and sterilizing. Formaldehyde is also a starting point for some important herbicides and pharmaceuticals.

Recent studies have shown that there is a rare form of nasal cancer that is more frequent among people who were exposed to high doses of formaldehyde 30-60 years ago. This led the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in 2004 to reclassify formaldehyde as "carcinogenic to humans", even though the cancer cases in question were the result of exposure so long ago. Moreover, no link was found between this rare form of nasal cancer and other forms of cancer.

It should also be noted that the exposure levels in the studies in question were much higher than those specified by today’s Occupational Exposure Limits, and that levels of formaldehyde in the workplace today are far lower, thanks to better technology and hygiene.

Fortunately, the smell of formaldehyde is so sharp, so strong and so irritating that it gives its own clear warning signal even at extremely low concentrations – before the level becomes hazardous. And the greater the concentration is, the more it irritates. Your nose will simply not allow you to enter (much less remain in!) a place where the concentration is hazardously high.

Using formaldehyde as a building block, chemical processes bind the free formaldehyde in various molecular chains, which usually render the formaldehyde itself harmless. High-grade resin, for example, bonds formaldehyde to such an extent that the free formaldehyde content in wood-based products is well below the strictest norms. Low-grade resin sometimes fails to achieve this.

Since formaldehyde is so versatile, it can be used to make very many products, including some dangerous ones. However, such products are usually not dangerous because of the formaldehyde they contain, but because of the other substances.

13. Should you avoid all contact with formaldehyde?

Clearly not, since that would mean you couldn't have contact with your own body (see FAQ 14)! Regarding contact with higher concentrations, the powerful smell of formaldehyde (see FAQ 11) is almost always warning enough. However, just as certain people may be allergic to apples, a small percentage of the population is sensitized to formaldehyde and should avoid contact. And of course everyone agrees that it is always essential to observe all due precautions in terms of health, safety and the environment.

14. What is the source of most man-made formaldehyde?

That would have to be man himself! According to calculations from CanTox Inc. in 1988, the human body produces 51.4g of formaldehyde every day as part of the natural metabolic process. Assuming a world population of 6 billion, then we humans produce 300 million tons of formaldehyde (37% basis) every year – or around 10 times the installed plant capacity!!