Author(s): Katy Goyak, Stewart Holm
The article examines the human health risks of formaldehyde, focusing on sensory irritation due to its widespread use and exposure. A scientific panel, the Human Studies Review Board (HSRB), reviewed studies on sensory irritation for the 2022 Draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Formaldehyde Hazard Assessment. The HSRB provided recommendations on these studies for setting exposure limits, emphasizing the importance of study design and uncertainty adjustments. The commentary compares international formaldehyde exposure limits and highlights scientific consensus on key issues such as the need for controlled exposure studies and the lack of necessity for adjustments for exposure duration or human variability. These findings aim to guide the establishment of exposure limits in the EPA's TSCA Risk Evaluation on formaldehyde.
Learn more:
- Goyak and Holm (Mar 2024). Sensory irritation and use of the best available science in setting exposure limits: Issues raised by a scientific panel review of formaldehyde human research studies. Reg Tox Pharm., available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2024.105587.
- Update to the paper, reflecting the final IRIS assessment and draft TSCA risk evaluation, presented in a poster session at the Society for Risk Analysis conference (Dec 2024), available at: https://www.americanchemistry.com/industry-groups/formaldehyde/resources/comparing-risk-science-choices-underpinning-formaldehyde-exposure-levels-established-by-independent-regulatory-and-advisory-bodies