New report finds health threat lurking in countless household products: 'Unreasonable risk'

A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency found that formaldehyde presents an "unreasonable risk" to human health, ProPublica reported.

The report was released a few weeks after ProPublica released their own findings that the chemical causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant.

What's happening?

Formaldehyde, a chemical most commonly used in building materials and as a preservative for mortuaries and medical laboratories, was found to present unreasonable risk to those with exposure to high concentrations, as the EPA report concluded.

The EPA evaluated 63 situations where workers or consumers were exposed to formaldehyde and found that 58 of those contributed to health risks. The report noted the risk as "sensory irritation," namely skin sensitization, eye irritation, and allergic reactions.

Some of the products that led to formaldehyde exposure included wood bleach, car wax, printing ink, soap, paint additives, upholstery, asphalt, clothing fabric, and laundry and dishwashing products.

Due to these findings, the EPA is required to mitigate the risk of formaldehyde. The next step is for regulation through drafting restrictions to exposure.

According to ProPublica, a chemical industry group attacked the report, saying the EPA is "pursuing unaccountable lame-duck actions that threaten the U.S. economy and key sectors that support health, safety, and national security."

However, ProPublica's findings on formaldehyde exposure show that the EPA report may downplay the threat of formaldehyde, especially for those working in or living near industrial plants. 

Why is formaldehyde exposure concerning?

ProPublica's report found that formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other chemical in the air. In addition, the chemical can trigger asthma, miscarriages, and fertility problems.

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It found that the EPA's goal of limiting the air pollutant is not enough to prevent the risk of getting cancer from lifetime exposure to formaldehyde, both in outdoor spaces and indoor spaces, from our home products such as soap, upholstery, and other fabrics.

According to ProPublica, about 320 million Americans live in the U.S. "where the lifetime cancer risk from outdoor exposure to formaldehyde is 10 times higher than the agency's ideal."

Other studies have found similar warning signs on exposure to formaldehyde. A study based on neonatal intensive care unit admission data found that the top reason for admission to intensive care for newborn children is air pollutants, such as formaldehyde.

The Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on formaldehyde that could have helped mitigate the risk, but it looks to have stalled.

"Even though it would have really important public health impacts across the country, I'm not confident that this is something that is going to become an FDA priority or something that we're going to see the FDA push through," Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, told CNN.

With the FDA's ban stalled for the moment and the EPA's downplaying of formaldehyde risk, people with the most risk of formaldehyde exposure — namely in fence-line areas near industrial plants — are left waiting for answers.

"Despite calculating very high cancer risks for people in their homes and also fence-line community residents, EPA has completely written off those risks, and set the stage for no regulation to address those risks," said Katherine O'Brien, a senior attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice. "That's deeply disappointing and very hard to comprehend."

What's being done about formaldehyde?

While the new EPA report will lead to new regulations, complete bans of formaldehyde remain unlikely, especially with the FDA's proposed regulations paused.

However, there are a few ways you can limit your risk to formaldehyde exposure. Since the risk of formaldehyde mainly comes from breathing, things such as air conditioners and dehumidifiers can reduce risk, as the EPA suggests.

ProPublica also has listed out several tips for limiting exposure, including washing new clothes before wearing them, choosing furniture carefully, and checking ingredients in skincare products. The Environmental Working Group also has a database of 74,000 products and their risk assessments to help you choose safe products for your health.

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