Author: Thompson, Chad. (2018)
The article discusses the relevance of a 2017 final report by the U. S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) that explored the potential involvement of p53 mutation in formaldehyde-induced nasal tumors and lymphohematopoietic cancers. The NTP study demonstrated that inhalation of a maximum tolerated dose of formaldehyde did not cause nasal tumors, did not cause an increased prevalence of leukemia or lymphohematopoietic cancer, and did not cause any other type of cancer in Trp53+/- mice. It provides additional support for utilizing a non-linear threshold model for the dose-response analysis of formaldehyde. The commentary reinforces that the mode of action of inhaled formaldehyde must be foundational for characterizing the hazard and dose-response assessment.