EPA said formaldehyde, a ubiquitous and cancer-tied chemical, presents an “unreasonable risk” to human health, a finding that triggers regulatory action to restrict or ban certain uses.
The final formaldehyde risk assessment of the chemical’s health effects, which is set to be published Friday, is likely to face significant scrutiny under the incoming Trump administration, which has vowed to pursue an aggressive deregulatory agenda.
Adding to the picture is a politically charged history regarding formaldehyde reviews. Tensions over the chemical were highlighted during the first Trump administration after political officers were accused of interfering with a toxicity assessment.
Consumers and workers are at risk of breathing in high concentrations of formaldehyde that can cause allergic responses, like sensory irritation and skin sensitization, over short periods of time, according to the final assessment. Chronic exposure from breathing in small doses over multiple years can also increase workers’ risk of cancer.
