Priority Substances List Assessment Report for Formaldehyde

Environment Canada
Health Canada
2001
ISBN: 0-662-29447-5
Cat. No.: En40-215/61E

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Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Table of Contents

• List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Synopsis
• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Summary of Information Critical to Assessment of "Toxic" Under CEPA 1999
  • 2.1 Identity and physical/chemical properties
  • 2.2 Entry characterization
    • 2.2.1 Production, importation exportation and use
    • 2.2.2 Sources and releases
      • 2.2.2.1 Natural sources
      • 2.2.2.2 Anthropogenic sources
      • 2.2.2.3 Secondary formation
  • 2.3 Exposure characterization
    • 2.3.1 Environmental fate
      • 2.3.1.1 Air
      • 2.3.1.2 Water
      • 2.3.1.3 Sediment
      • 2.3.1.4 Soil
      • 2.3.1.5 Biota
      • 2.3.1.6 Environmental distribution
    • 2.3.2 Environmental concentrations
      • 2.3.2.1 Air
        • 2.3.2.1.1 Ambient air
        • 2.3.2.1.2 Indoor air
      • 2.3.2.2 Water
        • 2.3.2.2.1 Drinking water
        • 2.3.2.2.2 Surface water
        • 2.3.2.2.3 Effluent
        • 2.3.2.2.4 Groundwater
        • 2.3.2.2.5 Atmospheric water
      • 2.3.2.3 Sediment
      • 2.3.2.4 Soil
      • 2.3.2.5 Biota
      • 2.3.2.6 Food
      • 2.3.2.7 Consumer products
      • 2.3.2.8 Clothing and fabrics
      • 2.3.2.9 Building materials
  • 2.4 Effects characterization
    • 2.4.1 Ecotoxicology
      • 2.4.1.1 Terrestrial organisms
      • 2.4.1.2 Aquatic organisms
    • 2.4.2 Abiotic atmospheric effects
    • 2.4.3 Experimental animals and in vitro
      • 2.4.3.1 Acute toxicity
      • 2.4.3.2 Short-term and subchronic toxicity
        • 2.4.3.2.1 Inhalation
        • 2.4.3.2.2 Oral exposure
      • 2.4.3.3 Chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity
        • 2.4.3.3.1 Chronic toxicity
        • 2.4.3.3.2 Carcinogenicity
      • 2.4.3.4 Genotoxicity and related endpoints
      • 2.4.3.5 Reproductive and developmental toxicity
      • 2.4.3.6 Immunological and neurological effects
      • 2.4.3.7 Toxicokinetics/metabolism and mode of carcinogenesis
    • 2.4.4 Humans
      • 2.4.4.1 Case reports and clinical studies
      • 2.4.4.2 Epidemiological studies
        • 2.4.4.2.1 Cancer
        • 2.4.4.2.2 Genotoxicity
        • 2.4.4.2.3 Respiratory irritancy and function
        • 2.4.4.2.4 Immunological effects
        • 2.4.4.2.5 Other effects
• 3.0 Assessment of "Toxic" under CEPA 1999
  • 3.1 CEPA 1999 64(a): Environment
    • 3.1.1 Assessment endpoints
      • 3.1.1.1 Terrestrial
      • 3.1.1.2 Aquatic
    • 3.1.2 Environmental risk characterization
      • 3.1.2.1 Terrestrial organisms
        • 3.1.2.1.1 Hyperconservative analysis
        • 3.1.2.1.2 Conservative analysis
      • 3.1.2.2 Aquatic organisms
        • 3.1.2.2.1 Hyperconservative analysis
        • 3.1.2.2.2 Conservative analysis
      • 3.1.2.3 Discussion of uncertainty
  • 3.2 CEPA 1999 64(b): Environment upon which life depends
  • 3.3 CEPA 1999 64(c): Human health
    • 3.3.1 Estimated population exposure
    • 3.3.2 Hazard characterization
      • 3.3.2.1 Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity
        • 3.3.2.1.1 Genotoxicity
        • 3.3.2.1.2 Carcinogenicity
      • 3.3.2.2 Non-neoplastic effects
    • 3.3.3 Exposure-response analyses
      • 3.3.3.1 Inhalation
        • 3.3.3.1.1 Carcinogenicity
        • 3.3.3.1.2 Non-neoplastic effects
      • 3.3.3.2 Oral exposure
    • 3.3.4 Human health risk characterization
    • 3.3.5 Uncertainties and degree of confidence in human health risk characterization
  • 3.4 Conclusions
  • 3.5 Considerations for follow-up (further action)
• 4.0 References
• Appendix A Search Strategies Employed for Identification of Relevant Data

List of Tables

• Table 1 Physical and chemical properties of formaldehyde reported in literature
• Table 2 Summary of non-neoplastic effect levels (inhalation) for formaldehyde
• Table 3 Summary of non-neoplastic effect levels (oral exposure) for formaldehyde
• Table 4 Comparative effects of formaldehyde exposure upon cell proliferation, DNA-protein crosslinking and tumour incidence
• Table 5 Summary of risk measures from case-control studies
• Table 6 Summary of risk measures from cohort studies
• Table 7 Summary of the environmental risk analysis for terrestrial organisms
• Table 8 Summary of the environmental risk analysis for aquatic organisms
• Table 9 Concentrations of formaldehyde in outdoor air and residential indoor air in Canada
• Table 10 Probabilistic estimates of 24-hour time-weighted average concentrations of formaldehyde in air

List of Figures

• Figure 1 Formaldehyde carcinogenicity
• Figure 2 Two-stage clonal growth model
• Figure 3 Roadmap for the rat clonal growth model
• Figure 4 Roadmap for the human clonal growth model