Formaldehyde, the ubiquitous chemical found in homes and workplaces, poses the highest cancer risk of any airborne toxic, yet decades of regulatory attempts have been thwarted by industry influence.
Sharon Lerner and Al Shaw report for ProPublica.
In short:
- Formaldehyde exposure increases cancer risks, particularly myeloid leukemia, yet EPA assessments often downplay its dangers, ignoring key scientific findings.
- Industry resistance and political interference have delayed tighter regulations for over four decades, leaving millions exposed to unsafe levels.
- Indoor exposure, from furniture and building materials, poses an even greater risk than outdoor air, threatening families in their own homes.
Key quote:
“The election of Trump is a dream for people who want to deregulate all chemicals. We are going to continue to see people get sick and die from this chemical.”
— Tracey Woodruff, director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at University of California, San Francisco
Why this matters:
The push for stricter rules on formaldehyde has been stalled for more than four decades. It’s a perfect case study in how industry lobbying trumps public health, leaving millions to pay the price—in some cases, with their lives. Read more: Toxic exposures accumulate in more than 100 categories of consumer products.
