Formaldehyde Poisoning

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
THERE has been a great deal of current interest in the toxicity of formaldehyde, and most of the recent concern has centered on the release of formaldehyde into the environment from urea-formaldehyde foam used in insulation products.1However, systemic formaldehyde intoxication has not been adequately characterized, and the few reports that exist on human intoxication represent descriptive and pathologic evaluations.2,3There is little information available on the extent of formaldehyde absorption in mammals, and to our knowledge, there are no data in the literature concerning its conversion to formic acid and carbon dioxide in humans. We report a case involving the ingestion by one person of 120 mL of formaldehyde solution. Methanol, formaldehyde, and formic acid levels in the blood of the patient are reported following the ingestion of formaldehyde solution. The levels of these substances were monitored for 20 hours after admission of the patient to the hospital.