Industry claims that formaldehyde does not cause cancer have been dismissed by US government experts. A National Academies of Science (NAS) assessment of the cancer risks from formaldehyde – a common industrial chemical found in furniture, building materials and other household products – concluded it poses a threat to humans for three types of cancer: nasopharyngeal cancer; sinonasal cancer; and myeloid leukaemia. According to Jennifer Sass of the US Natural Resources Defense Fund (NRDC), the finding will be a blow to the industry lobby as the NAS review “was politically motivated, the result of a campaign by the chemical industry and its allies in Congress to protect formaldehyde and styrene, another common chemical linked to cancer.” According to Sass, when subject to close scrutiny the chemical industry’s case “added up to little more than a baseless defence of their toxic products. The chemical industry needs to start producing safer products, and stop attacking independent science and defending cancer-causing chemicals.” In 2009, formaldehyde’s top Group 1 human cancer risk rating from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was broadened to include leukaemia in the list of cancers with an established link to the chemical.

National Academies of Science news release and report summary and full report on formaldehyde. NRDC blog. Risks 667.