Formaldehyde

What is formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde or methanal is a chemical compound, more specifically an aldehyde (the simplest of them) that is highly volatile and very flammable, with the formula H 2 C=O. Under normal conditions of pressure and temperature, it is a colorless gas with a penetrating odor and very soluble in water.

What risks does it entail?

In doses higher than 30 ppm (parts per million) formaldehyde can endanger human health.

Normally such high levels only occur in professional environments, so workers who handle these products must be protected by the necessary prevention systems established by legislation in order to avoid possible poisoning.

Inhalation risk assessment is carried out by comparing the time-weighted concentration in air of a given pollutant, obtained from representative measurements, with the Environmental Limit Values set for the agent in question, both those defined for daily exposures (VLA-ED) and those applicable to periods exposure shorts (VLA-EC).