December 2006
478 pages
ISBN 92 832 1288 6
US$ 40

This volume re-evaluates the available evidence on the carcinogenic potential of formaldehyde, a substance that is found in the workplace
and in the environment. Formaldehyde is widely used in resins that bind wood products, pulp and paper; in glasswool and rockwool insulation; in plastics and coatings, textile finishing, chemical manufacture; and as a disinfectant and preservative. Also evaluated are two glycol ethers,
2-butoxyethanol and 1-tert-butoxypropan-2-ol, which are widely used as solvents in paints and paint thinners, coatings, glass and surface cleaners, inks, adhesives, personal-care products, and as chemical intermediates. As for formaldehyde, there is sufficient evidence in epidemiological studies for nasopharyngeal cancer, strong but not sufficient evidence for leukaemia, and limited evidence for sinonasal cancer. The extensive scientific database on the mechanisms by which formaldehyde can induce nasal-tract cancer in humans is considered. These data provide strong support for the empirical observation of nasopharyngeal cancer in humans. In contrast, the lack of information on possible mechanisms by which formaldehyde might increase the risk for leukaemia in humans tempered the interpretation of the epidemiological data on that cancer. Although this volume focuses on a qualitative assessment of the carcinogenic potential of formaldehyde, subsequent predictions of the risks for nasopharyngeal cancer should consider pertinent information on mechanisms of carcinogenesis, including genotoxicity and dose-dependent cytoxicity. A theme common to the three evaluations is the consideration of mechanistic information to develop and evaluate hypotheses on the sequence of steps that lead to the induction of tumours in experimental animals. The hypothesized mechanisms described provide an interesting set of cases that range from a vast literature on respiratory tract tumours in rats induced by the inhalation of formaldehyde to some more tentative hypotheses on the various tumours observed in animals following exposure to both glycol ethers. Recurring issues were the criteria that characterize a rare tumour or how to introduce additional information to resolve difficult questions; for example, how to consider the results of historical controls.

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