• 9/19/2004
  • By Christopher Cundy
  • Plastics & Rubber Weekly

New research by scientists has concluded that formaldehyde, a chemical used in thermoset plastics and rubber manufacture, does pose a cancer risk to humans. An international study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation, concluded that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer, a relatively rare form of cancer in developed countries that occurs in the upper throat behind the nose. It had earlier stated that formaldehyde was a probable carcinogen.

The group also found limited evidence that the chemical causes cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and “strong but not sufficient” evidence for leukaemia. More than one million workers in the EU are exposed to some degree. “A very wide range of exposure levels has been observed in the production of resins and plastic products. The development of resins that release less formaldehyde and improved ventilation has resulted in decreased exposure levels in many industrial settings in recent decades,” the agency said.