NTP lists Formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen

On November 4, a 10-member independent scientific expert panel convened by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) voted unanimously to list formaldehyde as a "known human carcinogen" in the upcoming 12th NTP Report on Carcinogens (RoC). Currently, formaldehyde is listed in the 11th RoC as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." The vote came after three days of presentations, public comments and lengthy discussions of the body of literature on this widely used chemical. The expert panel noted that in the case of myeloid leukemia, there is evidence of genetic damage in lymphocytes in the blood of formaldehyde-exposed people. These studies and toxicity studies in animals suggest that formaldehyde can produce effects at sites other than the nose and sinus that receive the initial contact of the colorless, strong-smelling gas. "Having studies linking formaldehyde to not just relatively rare nasal cancers, but to a form of leukemia, which is a more common cancer, is an additional public health concern," said Ruth Lunn, Dr.P.H., (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/od/ontp/lunn/index.cfm) director of the Report on Carcinogens Center