Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-62 - General occupational health standards › Part I - AIR CONTAMINANTS (SPECIFIC) › Section 296-62-07546 - Appendix C medical surveillance-Formaldehyde

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)  Health hazards. The occupational health
				hazards of formaldehyde are primarily due to its toxic effects after
				inhalation, after direct contact with the skin or eyes by formaldehyde in
				liquid or vapor form, and after ingestion.
(2)
				 Toxicology.
(a)  Acute effects
				of exposure.
(i)  Inhalation (breathing):
				Formaldehyde is highly irritating to the upper airways. The concentration of
				formaldehyde that is immediately dangerous to life and health is 100 ppm.
				Concentrations above 50 ppm can cause severe pulmonary reactions within
				minutes. These include pulmonary edema, pneumonia, and bronchial irritation
				which can result in death. Concentrations above 5 ppm readily cause lower
				airway irritation characterized by cough, chest tightness, and wheezing. There
				is some controversy regarding whether formaldehyde gas is a pulmonary
				sensitizer which can cause occupational asthma in a previously normal
				individual. Formaldehyde can produce symptoms of bronchial asthma in humans.
				The mechanism may be either sensitization of the individual by exposure to
				formaldehyde or direct irritation by formaldehyde in persons with preexisting
				asthma. Upper airway irritation is the most common respiratory effect reported
				by workers and can occur over a wide range of concentrations, most frequently
				above 1 ppm. However, airway irritation has occurred in some workers with
				exposures to formaldehyde as low as 0.1 ppm. Symptoms of upper airway
				irritation include dry or sore throat, itching and burning sensations of the
				nose, and nasal congestion. Tolerance to this level of exposure may develop
				within one to two hours. This tolerance can permit workers remaining in an
				environment of gradually increasing formaldehyde concentrations to be unaware
				of their increasingly hazardous exposure.
(ii)
				 Eye contact: Concentrations of formaldehyde between 0.05 ppm and
				0.5 ppm produce a sensation of irritation in the eyes with burning, itching,
				redness, and tearing. Increased rate of blinking and eye closure generally
				protects the eye from damage at these low levels, but these protective
				mechanisms may interfere with some workers' work abilities. Tolerance can occur
				in workers continuously exposed to concentrations of formaldehyde in this
				range. Accidental splash injuries of human eyes to aqueous solutions of
				formaldehyde (formalin) have resulted in a wide range of ocular injuries
				including corneal opacities and blindness. The severity of the reactions have
				been directly dependent on the concentration of formaldehyde in solution and
				the amount of time lapsed before emergency and medical intervention.
(iii)  Skin contact: Exposure to formaldehyde
				solutions can cause irritation of the skin and allergic contact dermatitis.
				These skin diseases and disorders can occur at levels well below those
				encountered by many formaldehyde workers. Symptoms include erythema, edema, and
				vesiculation or hives. Exposure to liquid formalin or formaldehyde vapor can
				provoke skin reactions in sensitized individuals even when airborne
				concentrations of formaldehyde are well below 1 ppm.
(iv)  Ingestion: Ingestion of as little as 30
				ml of a thirty-seven percent solution of formaldehyde (formalin) can result in
				death. Gastrointestinal toxicity after ingestion is most severe in the stomach
				and results in symptoms which can include nausea, vomiting, and severe
				abdominal pain. Diverse damage to other organ systems including the liver,
				kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain, and central nervous systems can occur from the
				acute response to ingestion of formaldehyde.