What diseases can formaldehyde cause

Formaldehyde is very scary for many people, especially those who have just renovated their houses. They should open windows more often for ventilation. This way, they can avoid formaldehyde poisoning in their rooms. Moreover, the air pollution in their homes is very serious and must not be taken lightly, otherwise they will develop some very difficult to cure diseases.

Relevant data show that indoor air pollution is 5 to 10 times higher than outdoor air pollution, and there are more than 500 kinds of pollutants. Indoor air pollution has become a contributing factor to many diseases, and formaldehyde is a major factor causing indoor air pollution.

The health hazards of formaldehyde are mainly in the following aspects:

a. Irritation: The main hazard of formaldehyde is irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. Formaldehyde is a protoplasmic toxic substance that can combine with proteins. When inhaled in high concentrations, it can cause severe respiratory irritation and edema, eye irritation, and headaches.

b. Sensitization: Direct skin contact with formaldehyde can cause allergic dermatitis, pigmentation, and necrosis. Inhalation of high concentrations of formaldehyde can induce bronchial asthma.

c. Mutagenic effect: High concentration of formaldehyde is also a genotoxic substance. Experimental animals may develop nasopharyngeal tumors if they inhale high concentrations in the laboratory.

d. Prominent symptoms: headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, eye pain, sore throat, poor appetite, palpitations, insomnia, weight loss, memory loss and autonomic nervous system disorder, etc. Long-term inhalation by pregnant women may cause fetal malformation or even death; long-term inhalation by men may cause sperm deformity, death, etc.

Hazardous characteristics:

Its vapor forms an explosive mixture with air and can cause combustion and explosion when exposed to open flame or high heat. If exposed to high heat, the pressure inside the container will increase, causing the container to crack and explode.

Combustion (decomposition) products: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide.

Relative concentration risk

When the formaldehyde concentration reaches 0.06-0.07 mg/m³ per cubic meter of air, children will experience mild asthma;

When the formaldehyde content in indoor air reaches 0.1mg/m³, there will be odor and discomfort;

When formaldehyde reaches 0.5mg/m³, it can irritate the eyes and cause tears;

Formaldehyde reaching 0.6 mg/m³ can cause throat discomfort or pain. At higher concentrations, it can cause nausea and vomiting, coughing, chest tightness, asthma and even pulmonary edema;

When the formaldehyde concentration reaches 30mg/m³, it will cause immediate death.

Symptoms of poisoning

Mild poisoning: obvious symptoms of irritation to eyes and upper respiratory tract mucosa. The main symptoms are conjunctival congestion, redness and swelling, difficulty breathing, heavy breathing, hoarseness of the throat, and dry, dull or wet speech. The poisoned person can also feel his breathing becoming heavier. Another specific symptom of mild formaldehyde poisoning is one to two degrees of throat edema.

Moderate poisoning: persistent cough, sputum, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and dry or wet crackling sounds. During chest X-ray, the lung texture solidifies and turns into scattered small spots or flake-like shadows, which is the medical model of bronchopneumonia; the throat edema increases to grade three. Blood gas analysis may be accompanied by mild to moderate hypoxemia.

Severe poisoning: The condition of the lungs and throat deteriorates, with symptoms of pulmonary edema and fourth-degree laryngeal edema. Blood gas analysis also becomes serious, showing severe hypoxemia.