Formaldehyde, Styrene Added To U.S. Health Department's Carcinogens List

Formaldehyde, a preservative used in labs and mortuaries, and styrene, the chemical used to make styrofoam cups and food containers, were among six chemicals that were added today to the U.S. health department's list of chemicals that are known to cause cancer or could raise the risk of cancer.

Formaldehyde, which is also used in the manufacturing of household products, and aristolochic acids, which are present in some plant species, were classified by government scientists as known carcinogens, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) report. Certain herbal medicines and botanic foods may contain aristalochic acids as a contaminant.

Styrene, riddelliine (found in certain plant species), captafol (a pesticide), cobalt-tungsten carbide (a metal in powder or hard form), certain kinds of inhalable glass wool fibers (used for insulation) and o-nitrotoluene (used in the production of dyes and chemicals) were classified as substances that can reasonably be anticipated to be human carcinogens, the NIEHS said.

People are usually exposed to styrene by working in a manufacturing environment, as the chemical is used to make plastics and rubber for insulation, car parts, pipes, food containers and carpet backing, according to the report. Smokers are also exposed to styrene because the chemical is present in cigarette smoke. The chemical can also leach out from styrofoam containers, but the levels that are released are very low, the report said.

Some studies have shown that styrene increases the risk of leukemia and lymphoma in humans, and lung cancer in mice, according to the report.

"Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk," said Linda Birnbaum, director of both the NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program, in a press release.

The Report on Carcinogens now includes 240 items. Some known carcinogens in the report include arsenic, asbestos, mustard gas, certain strains of the human papillomavirus, solar radiation, tobacco smoke and wood dust. "Reasonably anticipated" human carcinogens include chloroform, progesterone and diesel exhaust.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' carcinogens list is separate from the World Health Organization's list. The WHO's list was updated last week to include cell phones as a "possible carcinogen."

Comments

[manicore]

04:55 PM on 06/14/2011

Remember this article next time the CDC. issues one of it's Bogus studies about how safe Vaccines are. Yup it's in there.

[Jenna Stevenson]

03:07 PM on 06/14/2011

Democracy Now! did a good interview on this today. They talked with a journalist who investigated the money trail behind Sen. David Vitter (La) and Sen. James Inhofe (Oak). They allegedly had interest in delaying this report for 4 years, despite the science on it being substantial and conclusive. It's here: http://bit.ly/mlFHqF

[Iatros78]

02:00 PM on 06/15/2011

Thanks for the link, Jenna. I was astounded to find David Koch on the Board of Directors of the National Institutes of Health! Unbelieveable. Congress has allowed polluting/poisoning industries to throw up numerous roadblocks to agencies that are charged with protecting the health and safety of workers, consumers, and the environment. I found David Michaels' (current head of OSHA) book Doubt is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health (Oxford 2008) to be of great help in understanding this state of affairs. One thing is for sure, when the US National Toxicology Program finally concludes something is a carcinogen, you can be sure that the most rigorous science stands behind such a conclusion.

[tagtron]

09:00 AM on 06/14/2011

It's about time. How long did the chemical industry - including Koch brothers' Georgia Pacific - fight to suppress this report, the conclusions of which were common knowledge in the public health sector, viz a viz, these agents are carcinogens

[Benjamin Rosenfeld]

08:42 AM on 06/13/2011

"Wood dust is known to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in humans.

Cancer Studies in Humans

Many case reports and epidemiological studies (including cohort studies and case-control studies that specifically addressed nasal cancer) have found a strong association between exposure to wood dust and cancer of the nasal cavity. Strong and consistent associations with cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses were observed both in studies of people whose occupations were associated with wood-dust exposure and in studies that directly estimated wooddust exposure. Cancer risks were highest for adenocarcinoma, particularly among European populations. Studies of U.S. populations showed similar significant positive associations between wood-dust exposure and adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity."

[Benjamin Rosenfeld]

08:32 AM on 06/13/2011

Styrene is also found in polystyrene, #6 plastic, which is what most plastic straws and plastic eating utensils, amongst other things, are made out of.

[bobbiewick]

08:01 AM on 06/13/2011

Formaldehyde is also present in large quantities in women's shoes. The problem has become more widespread since shoe manudacturers -- including those in Italy -- began using formaldehyde-laced glue to put shoes together.

[50PlusSam]

03:27 AM on 06/13/2011

I just don't understand how people can drink coffe out of those styrofoam cup. That detracts from the pleasure.
http://www.lifestyle-after50.com/coffee.html

[tagtron]

09:02 AM on 06/14/2011

indeed, especially in the long term

[Romaine Chritton]

08:58 PM on 06/12/2011

I'm saddened that alcohol is on the list. When I developed an arrhythmia, I started drinking red wine with my meals. I LOVE the combination, and felt like I was improving my health. Now, I find out I may be killing myself! I believe the wine guideline is 1 glass per day for females and 2 for males. Not hardly enough.....

[Seven Teenatheart]

11:32 PM on 06/11/2011

It's about time - formaldehyde has been a known carcinogen for enough years that I was quite surprised to find out that it wasn't on the list sooner (OK, I'm shocked that it was overlooked - it's been known to be a carcinogen for a matter of decates).

Some background information on formaldehyde:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/06/epa_formaldehyde_can_cause_can.html
http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/hlthef/formalde.html

[Seven Teenatheart]

11:33 PM on 06/11/2011

Correcting a typo - it's "decades".

[hypple]

02:56 PM on 06/11/2011

our zealous quest to make our lives easier(?) seems to be failing.

[Roxee]

12:42 PM on 06/11/2011

Formaldehyde was added to the Australian list of carcinogens in 1990!

[Seven Teenatheart]

11:28 PM on 06/11/2011

Thank you!
I was surprised to find that it wasn't on ours - I wonder what other obvious chemicals are missing from that list....

[tagtron]

09:04 AM on 06/14/2011

So as a rule of thumb, it's probably safe to say that we're 20 years behind the rest of the first world in chemical risk assessments. Of course, they probably don't have the level of industry interference/obstructionism or the science deniers to deal with

[Littlewords]

11:52 AM on 06/11/2011

Boehner and his Repub House will soon be working to silence and/or reverse this.

[tagtron]

09:05 AM on 06/14/2011

it's part of their Job Creation plan. Hire scientists to contradict the obvious truth

[Mark Knudsen]

11:46 AM on 06/11/2011

do you realize every one that are dill pickes that was born before 1870 is dead and 100% of drug attickes started out life drinking milk..that does not mean we should be recless...but......the old viking

[HRH]

11:58 AM on 06/11/2011

Somebody's been inhaling a lot of those carcinogens.

[ResistanceisFutile]

12:07 PM on 06/11/2011

More Formaldehyde, son!

[Mark Knudsen]

12:39 PM on 06/11/2011

hay dude I take that as a compliment beeing called son at 72

[1Truthseeker]

11:43 AM on 06/11/2011

Formaldehyde fumes exhaust in burning ethanol fuels. This has been known for many years,
even as they were developing the technology for mass producing ethanol. Now, some 30 years later they admit that it is a carcinogen. The same is true for styrene. It has been a known fact for decades that styrene is a carcinogen. Yet all our produce and meat are packed in it (styrene trays) and all the major fast food and take out restaurants package and serve the food we order.

The refusal of American Universities and colleges to respond to the formaldehyde threat that their biology and medical students are exposed to needs to be called what it is: Criminal negligence! Both formaldahyde and styrene have been banned in Europe for more than 40 years. Decades of escalating cancers of all kind in the US and our government regulators in the grip of Corporate corruption sit silently by as millions of our people die slow and agonizing deaths.

[MrStat1]

11:54 AM on 06/11/2011

Unless there is a law on the books there is no criminal negligence and you need to redefine terms.

[1Truthseeker]

05:24 PM on 06/11/2011

The OSHA laws mandate the requirements for private and public institutions to maintain a healthy and safe working environment. The greater majority of American Universities and Colleges have scientific research departments that have been particularly aware of the hazard to human health posed by formaldehyde. When they do nothing to protect their students and research assistants from this hazard it is criminal negligence!

[tamazul]

11:31 AM on 06/11/2011

Maybe the Koch Bros, who have been trying relentlessly for years, to keep formaldehyde off the dangerous chemicals list, will come to the realization that money can't buy everything.