Formaldehyde Poisoning

R

Rosnet

Philomorpher
Registered Senior Member
A friend of mine was exposed to formaldehyde (used for fumigation) and suffered the usual symptoms - breathing trouble, throat constriction, etc. This was 12 days ago. Now she has very bad sinus problems and asthma. Does anyone know of similar cases? How long might this last?

(Of course she's seeing a doctor)
 
The doctor said the asthma is probably permanent. And eye problems too...
Please, does anyone know of similar cases? Can anything be done?

Does anyone have anything to say on this?
 
Not likely that any people here know much about Fomaldehyde poisoning.
Only a toxicologist would know much about it.
I've googled it, and it is unpleasant stuff, toxic in tiny amounts.
Your friend must have had way above the recommended maximum amounts (1-2 ppm) to suffer lung damage.

How did it happen?
 
She opened a bin which had a container of Formaldehyde inside it (for fumigation)
 
Thanks.

I did find a few documents, but none of them mentioned how long these effects would last. None of them said anything about permanent damage. (That makes me hopeful).
 
Weird, I was just researching the harmful effects of formaldehyde and formic acid for another thread.

I still don't know much about it except what you already seem to know. I recommend posting this in the "Chemistry" section. Someone highly proficient in chemistry might be able to answer your question.
 
How much was the exposure? Just a normal bin in which formaldehyde was stored? Or was it gaseous already? Generally just sniffing at an open bottle while being unpleasant should not have any serious effects. It was not during fumigation, was it (as the cabin should be sealed during that time)?

Generally the main dangers are that it is a potential carcinogen. While short term exposure can lead to the described symptoms, they vanish promptly (say 20 minutes or so). Long-term effects are usually only possible after long-term exposure. High concentration exposure on the other hand can be fatal, so it cannot be the reason, either.
Unless she was standing in the fumes for around 10 minutes with relatively high concentrations (something which one usually cannot tolerate voluntarily), formaldehyde poisoning alone is not likely the cause for lung problems.
However if she already had respiratory problems, it is possible that there was more damage than usual. I am afraid, I do not think that there is much info available for such special cases, though.
 
She doesn't know the concentration of the chemical.

In her words: "Some workman left a near empty container of Formaldehyde in a sealed bin, I opened the bin to put some rubbish in there and got a face full of vapours."

'Sealed bin' - No, it wasn't tightly sealed. Its lid was on the top like how it would be normally, that's all.

She doesn't know what concentration there was. And as for exposure time, she had been sitting in that room for a few hours before this happened. Since the bin wasn't sealed tight, she might already have been exposed to a smaller concentration of it for those few hours. But no, this was all in a single day - she hasn't been exposed to it for years or months or anything. However, when she went back to work a few days later, she had an attack of the original symptoms as soon as she entered the room. She rushed out and later came back home.
 
Well, whatever she has, judging from your description it is very unlikely that she suffers from direct (acute) formaldehyde poisoning. If she had been exposed to it during the whole time, she would had noticed it immediately. I had some fun with formaldehyde, too and the burning sensation is hard to ignore. However, as I mentioned, the effects should be transient. Former colleagues of mine, who used conserve specimen in formaldehyde have likely accumulated much more over the years without any symptoms (yet), though when they dilute the stuff they often manage to get a nose full of it. (yeah I know, but zoologists are a tough breed).

What is possible, though is that formaldehyde aggravated any pre-existing conditions. It is especially possible that it triggers an immune response or sensitizes it. So if she already had allergies and/or asthma, it may cause or worsen symptoms. And then it may happen even at very low concentrations. In other words, her current conditions may be immune related if it persists. You may want to take a look at the OSHA fact-sheets (OSHA.gov) for more detailed info. I didn't have the time to look everything up and am reciting from memory here, but if should you have trouble finding them I can come back to you for that.

Just forgot to add the sensitizing effect usually happens after repeated exposure. For your convenience: here is the URL http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/index.html
 
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That's what's confusing. She didn't have asthma or any allergies, really. And she has always been very healthy generally.

Thank you very much for that information and those links. I really appreciate it.
 
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