Health Effects

Respiratory irritant and carcinogen

Found in

Children's clothing and footwear, furniture and composite wood toys and puzzles, personal care products

More Details

Formaldehyde is widely used in consumer products. It is in adhesives for composite woods and glues. It is used to make fabrics wrinkle less. It can be a preservative in personal care products. Manufacturers of children's products reported the presence of formaldehyde in games, jewelry, bedding, footwear, personal care products, dolls, clothing, accessories, tableware, play structures, and more.

In personal care products, formaldehyde can be present in the product even if it wasn't added as an ingredient. Scores of chemicals that release formaldehyde are known as formaldehyde donors, including DMDM hydantoin and quaternium-15, which are respiratory irritants and skin sensitizers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.i

References

i. International Agency for Research on Cancer http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol100F/mono100F-29.pdf