Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (CH2O).
It is a colorless, flammable gas at room temperature.
Formaldehyde has a pungent, distinct odor and can cause burning sensation in the eyes, nose and lungs at high concentrations.
Our bodies generate and dispose of formaldehyde through natural metabolic processes every day.
In fact the average human has between 2-3 micrograms of formaldehyde per gram of blood.
Our bodies turn certain foods into formaldehyde in order to metabolize them.
Formaldehyde occurs naturally in the environment and is emitted by processes such as combustion.
By this way it is emitted naturally by all timber species. Formaldehyde is present in exhaust fumes, wood smoke, tobacco smoke and is produced by domestic appliances such as combustion heaters.
Formaldehyde is present in the air that we breathe at natural background levels of about 0.03 parts per million (ppm) with recent studies showing formaldehyde concentrations often up to 0.08ppm in outdoor urban air.
Formaldehyde is an important precursor to many other materials and chemical compounds and it is industrially significant with the downstream use of formaldehyde-based inputs contributing approximately 8% to US gross domestic product.
Formaldehyde is used as an ingredient in synthetic resins, industrial chemicals, preservatives, and in the production of paper, textiles, cosmetics, disinfectants, medicines, paints, varnishes and lubricant.
