Formaldehyde

Overview

In August 2024, EPA finalized the IRIS Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde (Inhalation). The Toxicological Review was reviewed internally by EPA and by other federal agencies and White House Offices before public release. Consistent with the May 2009 IRIS assessment development process, all written comments on IRIS assessments submitted by other federal agencies and White House Offices are made publicly available on this site.

Background

Formaldehyde is present in a variety of products including plywood adhesives, abrasive materials, insulation, pesticides, and embalming fluids. Major sources of anthropogenic emissions include household furnishings and building materials, motor vehicle exhaust, manufacturing plants that produce or use formaldehyde or substances that contain it (e.g., glues), and tobacco smoke.

History/Chronology

Date	Description
May 2011	NAS's Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST) releases the NAS Review of the Environmental Protection Agency's Draft IRIS Assessment of Formaldehyde (Final Report).
Apr 2014	EPA convened a state-of-the-science workshop on formaldehyde on April 30 and May 1, 2014 in Arlington, VA. This workshop focused on 3 themes, see the web site for specific details.
Jun 2018	The IRIS Assessment of Formaldehyde-Inhalation Agency Review draft (completed in 2017) is formally suspended.
Mar 2021	EPA updates the list of priority assessments developed by IRIS. EPA unsuspends the IRIS Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde-Inhalation.
Dec 2021	EPA initiated an interagency science consultation on the draft Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde-Inhalation.
Apr 2022	EPA released the draft Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde-Inhalation for public comment and subsequent external peer review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Aug 2023	The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released their consensus study report, Review of EPA's 2022 Draft Formaldehyde Assessment, which provides recommendations to the U.S. EPA.
Jun 2024	EPA submitted the revised interagency science discussion draft for final Agency and Interagency review.

Status

Now that the interagency review draft has been completed and finalized, the final formaldehyde assessment has been published on the IRIS Web site and the toxicity values added to the IRIS Database.

This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.

• ATSDR Comments on the IASD Draft of Formaldehyde-Inhalation (PDF)  (7  pp, 304.7 KB, about PDF)
• NIOSH Comments on the IASD Draft of Formaldehyde-Inhalation (PDF)  (2  pp, 163.1 KB, about PDF)
• USDA Comments on the IASD Draft of Formaldehyde-Inhalation (PDF)  (2  pp, 150.4 KB, about PDF)
• EPA Presentation - Interagency Step 6 Meeting on the IRIS Formaldehyde Assessment (PDF)  (23  pp, 581.1 KB, about PDF)

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Document Related Link(s)

• IRIS Program Outlook April 2019-Suspended/Discontinued Assessment
• IRIS Program Outlook Jun 2021-Unsuspended Assessment
• IRIS Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde-Inhalation (Interagency Science Consultation Draft, 2021)