Toxins we ingest: Formaldehyde
FORMALIN is once again in the limelight because of litchis and mangoes, two of the favourite fruits of a Bangali. Unscrupulous people in Bangladesh engaged in "backyard business" are spraying these and other fruits with formalin to extend their life and keep them fresh. The chemical has endeared itself to them so much that they also coat fish with it to prevent bacterial growth and give them the appearance of freshness. Formalin can also be found as a preservative in foods, such as noodles, meatballs, and salted or dried fish.
Formalin is an aqueous solution that contains around 37% formaldehyde, a naturally occurring colourless and flammable substance made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Formaldehyde has been in use since time immemorial to embalm and preserve dead bodies.
Formaldehyde is a common indoor air pollutant and a potential killer. Even flies know formalin-treated fish is not good for them; they shy away from those fishes. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), it is a cancer-causing substance.
The list of formaldehyde sources in our house is never-ending. It is found practically everywhere and in everything that we use -- in the adhesive in plywood, particleboard, and paneling; on countertops, cabinets, and sub-flooring. Other sources include cigarette smoke and un-vented gas or kerosene burning stoves.
Formaldehyde is used to add permanent-press qualities to clothing and draperies. It is a component of glues and adhesives, and is used as a preservative in some paints and coating products. It can be found in paper products, tooth pastes, shampoos, other hair-styling products, and nail polish, cosmetics, waxed paper, and grocery bags.
For a hot and humid country like Bangladesh, the presence of formaldehyde in so many consumer products is really alarming. Heat and humidity accelerates the rate at which formaldehyde is released.
Once we ingest food items or water containing formaldehyde, the body metabolises it quickly and converts it into formic acid. It is highly toxic especially to a person with weak liver or kidney. Formaldehyde is readily absorbed by the lungs, digestive tracts, and organs leading to toxicity in a functional organ of the human body. Symptoms of formaldehyde poisoning are many: difficulty of swallowing, poor appetite, nausea, acute abdominal pain, diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, hypotension, and arrhythmia.
Formaldehyde irritates the eyes, nose, skin, and throat. When inhaled, it can cause coughing, wheezing, chest pains, and bronchitis. But sensitivity varies among people. Some are sensitive to levels of 1 to 3 parts per million (ppm), while others, who have been exposed to formaldehyde for long periods, become sensitised and respond to levels as low as 0.05 ppm. If high-levels (20-100 ppm) of formaldehyde are inhaled, it will cause fluid build-up in the lungs which may result in death.
Unknown to most of us, dialysis machines cleaned with formaldehyde can cause acute destruction of the red blood cells.
The primary health concern of formaldehyde is its cancer causing potential. The IARC has sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in humans who were exposed to formaldehyde. If the body contains high concentration of formaldehyde, it will react chemically with almost all the body cells, causing cell damage, and even cell mutations that lead to the development of cancer. It has also been shown to cause mutations in bacteria and many other organisms; many mutagens are also carcinogens. One epidemiological study showed a possible link between formaldehyde exposure and skin cancer in humans.
The magnitude of formaldehyde related problems we are faced with evokes feeling of despair and helplessness. They seem so immense that we wonder if anything can be done to alleviate the situation. Yes, we can, by shifting our emphasis from economic efficiency and materialism towards a sustainable quality of life. Use pure wood furniture, grow your own food; maintain natural nails, a frizzy, curly, or kinky hair, no make-ups; in other words, a plain-Jane lifestyle. Because when your health is at stake, is a "good hair day" worth it?
The writer is a Professor in the Department of Physics & Engineering Physics, Fordham University, New York.
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