EPA determines formaldehyde poses an 'unreasonable risk' to humans and must be regulated [View all]
Source: The Hill
01/03/25 4:20 PM ET
The Biden administration has officially determined the chemical formaldehyde poses an “unreasonable” risk to human health and should be regulated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said this week that “formaldehyde presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health, specifically to workers and consumers.”
The agency noted that the chemical “is found nearly everywhere” and so “people are routinely exposed to formaldehyde in indoor and outdoor environments, often from more than one source at a time.”
It also said that long-term exposure to the substance can cause cancer, as well as reduced lung function and worsened asthma. As a result, it said it would try to address the “unreasonable risk” by proposing a rule to protect workers and consumers.
“Having made that unreasonable risk determination, [the Toxic Substances Control Act] requires EPA to issue a rule that fully eliminates formaldehyde’s unreasonable risks,” Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at environmental group Earthjustice, told The Hill.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5066408-epa-formaldehyde-unreasonable-risk/
Link to EPA RELEASE - EPA Finalizes TSCA Risk Evaluation for Formaldehyde
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