What harm does formaldehyde do to the body?

Formaldehyde is a very simple chemical substance, also known as formic aldehyde. Under normal circumstances, formaldehyde is a flammable, colorless gas with a pungent odor that is easily soluble in water. Although formaldehyde is simple, it has many uses. It can be used in industry, medicine, dyes, etc. Next, we will discuss the harm that formaldehyde does to our human body.

Formaldehyde is an extremely strong fungicide and is widely used in industrial production. It is the raw material for manufacturing synthetic resins, paints, plastics and artificial fibers. It is also an important raw material for manufacturing urea-formaldehyde resin glue, melamine resin glue and phenol-formaldehyde resin glue in the wood-based panel industry.

People need to carry out interior decoration and purchase furniture in their new homes, offices and other places. Since a large amount of artificial boards are used in decoration and furniture making, and the production of artificial boards requires a large amount of adhesives made from highly toxic formaldehyde as raw materials, the formaldehyde in the adhesive has a long release period, generally up to 15 years, making formaldehyde the main pollutant in indoor air. Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance and ranks second on my country's priority control list of toxic chemicals. Formaldehyde has been identified by the World Health Organization as a carcinogen and teratogen. It is a recognized source of allergies and one of the potential strong mutagens.

Long-term exposure to low doses of formaldehyde can cause chronic respiratory diseases, nasopharyngeal cancer, colon cancer, brain tumors, menstrual disorders, gene mutations in the cell nucleus, intra-strand cross-linking of DNA and cross-linking of DNA with proteins, inhibition of DNA damage repair, pregnancy syndrome, chromosomal abnormalities and leukemia in newborns, and decreased memory and intelligence in adolescents. Among all those exposed, children and pregnant women are particularly sensitive to formaldehyde and are therefore more vulnerable to harm.

The above is about the harm of formaldehyde to the human body. Although formaldehyde is very useful, it is an extremely dangerous chemical. A house that has just been renovated cannot be moved into immediately because formaldehyde will leak out and harm the human body. Windows should be opened for ventilation.