Contents:
- Medical Video: Smoking Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema
- Formalin is a dangerous chemical
- How can someone be exposed to this chemical?
- What are the dangers of formalin for health?
- Respiratory tract
- Digestive system
- Skin
- Cancer
- How to reduce daily formalin exposure?
Medical Video: Smoking Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema
Formalin is a chemical that is widely used in many industries and household products. Yes, in concentrations of less than one percent, these chemicals are usually used as a mixture of various products, such as paints, adhesives, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, wood products, disinfectants, antiseptics, and cigarettes. Even though it is commonly found in household and industrial products, this one chemical also turns out to bring harm to health. Check out the health hazards of formalin below.
Formalin is a dangerous chemical
Formalin is a chemical solution that is colorless, pungent, and contains about 37 percent formaldehyde in water.
This one chemical is often used as a disinfectant (bacterial killer and germ) and corpse preservative. Formalin is also used for explosives, fertilizer making, glass mirrors, perfumes, paints, cosmetics, nail hardener, glue, dishwashing liquid, candles, and cigarettes. In addition, this one chemical is also commonly used on household furniture from wood.
The use of these chemicals for industrial needs is actually not prohibited. However, every worker involved in the transportation and processing of this material must be extra careful considering the risks associated with this material are quite large.
Formalin has many other names, some of which are like formol, morbicid, methanal, formic aldehyde, methylene aldehyde, carcass, oxomethane, methyl oxide, oxymethylene, tetraoxymethylene, formoform, paraforin, polyoxymethylene glycols, superlysoform, methylene glycol, tetraoxymethylene, formalith, and trioxane.
How can someone be exposed to this chemical?
A person can be exposed to this substance when inhaling or touching it. The people most at risk of exposure to this substance in high levels are workers in factories that produce products that contain formaldehyde, laboratory technicians, health workers, and mortuary employees.
In addition, you may also be exposed to this one chemical from household furniture at home.In fact, there are many household products that contain these chemicals, from household furniture to your cosmetic and personal care products.
In addition to being inhaled through the air, a person can also be exposed to these substances from the food and drinks he consumes. In fact, one chemical is prohibited from using it as a food preservative. Some examples of products that often contain formalin, for example, fresh fish, chicken, wet noodles, and tofu are on the market. Even so, not all food products contain these chemicals.
To ascertain whether a food product contains dangerous chemicals or laboratory tests are not needed. However, in general you should be careful if you find fresh food products that last for a few days and are not rotten.
What are the dangers of formalin for health?
Formalin is a chemical that dissolves in water and is very quickly processed by the body when you inhale or swallow it. In fact, even small amounts of exposure can be absorbed through your skin. Here are some of the dangers of formalin for health that you need to watch out for:
Respiratory tract
Inhaling air contaminated with these harmful chemicals can cause your respiratory tract to become irritated. As a result, you may experience various symptoms, such as coughing, sore throat, chest pain, and wheezing. If you already have a history of asthma and bronchitis, you are more likely to experience a recurrence when inhaling this compound.
Exposure to these compounds in the short term obtained through the air can also cause irritation to the eye cavity, nose and throat. Meanwhile, long-term or chronic exposure can cause severe injuries to the lungs.
Digestive system
Formalin is a chemical that is often used to preserve food. In fact, this one compound is very dangerous for health. Yes, eating foods that contain these chemicals in the long term can damage your digestive tract. This can cause severe stomach pain, diarrhea, and inflammation in the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines.
This one chemical can also cause bleeding in the stomach or intestines, damage to the liver, spleen, pancreas, and kidneys. In severe cases, this one chemical can also cause coma until death.
Skin
Short-term exposure to the skin can cause itching, irritation, and sunburn. In people who are allergic to formalin, low exposure for a short period of time can lead to severe skin irritation characterized by the appearance of rashes, dry skin, and dermatitis. If not treated immediately, this condition can cause scarring.
Cancer
Long-term formalin exposure is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Based on research conducted in humans and animals, there is enough evidence to show that this one chemical can trigger cancer. In fairly high doses and with a long exposure period (many years), formalin is carcinogenic (is a cancer-causing agent) in humans. Even so, until now there have been no studies that prove the exact level of formalin that can trigger cancer.
The danger of formalin for health may not be felt directly. But over time, this one chemical can cause a health hazard that is very alarming and life threatening.
How to reduce daily formalin exposure?
As already explained, formalin is widely contained in household products. You may not be able to completely avoid exposure to this one chemical. Even so, there are several ways that you can do to reduce formaldehyde exposure at home, namely:
- Make sure your house has good air ventilation so that the air can go in and out smoothly.
- Maintain moisture levels in your home by using humidifier or AC.
- Avoid smoking inside the house.
- Always wash hands thoroughly after using cleaning products or insecticides.
- Choose fresh food products. Avoid choosing foods that are striking in color, chewy in texture, not easily broken, and not easily spoiled.
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
- Cook your food in a good and perfectly cooked way.
