Formaldehyde Rules/Exposure Limit

Question 1

Action Level

Answer 1

The specific point at which an 8-hour exposure is
unsafe

.5ppm/8hr

Question 2

PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit)

Answer 2

.75ppm/8hr

Question 3

STEL (Short Term Exposure Limit)

Answer 3

2ppm/15 min

Question 4

TWA (Time Weighted Average)

Answer 4

.5ppm/8 hr

Question 5

TWA sampling’s over .75 ppm or above requires employers to:

Answer 5

1. Post formaldehyde warning signs in and around work area
2. Begin medical surveillance
3. Provide respirators for employees who are assigned to work in posted areas

Question 6

If STEL sampling reveals a concentration of airborne formaldehyde that is below 2 PPM, no further short term exposure limit testing is required unless:

Answer 6

1. Employer receives a report of an employees symptoms associated with formaldehyde exposure
2. There are any changes in procedure, equipment, chemicals, personnel, or other circumstances that affect the work area

Question 7

Airborne concentrations of formaldehyde exceeding 2 ppm require employer to:

Answer 7

1. Use formaldehyde warning signs
2. Begin medical surveillance
3. Require employees assigned duties in the prep room to wear respirators
4. Retest work area in 12 months

Question 8

Potential health hazards of formaldehyde: Acute effects:

Answer 8

• Ingestion (swallowing) of HCHO:
  
  • Throat irritation
  • Highly poisonous
  • Death
• Inhalation (breathing) of HCHO:
  
  • Irritates upper respiratory
  • Inflammation of nose, throat, and lungs
• Skin (dermal) exposure to HCHO:
  
  • Causes drying, cracking, and scaling
  • Dermatitis
  • Skin de-sensitization

Question 9

Potential health hazards of formaldehyde: Chronic effects:

Answer 9

• Carcinogenicity:
• Potential cancer in human lung, nasopharynx, and nasal passages
• Toxicity:
• May result in respiratory impairment such as asthma and bronchitis
• Mutagenicity:
• Genotoxin with the ability to alter genetic information within a cell, sometimes causing cancer

Question 10

Controlling Formaldehyde Overexposure

Answer 10

1. Adequate ventilation
2. Prevent spills
3. Cap all bottles
4. Rinse emptied fluid bottles
5. Place lids on embalming machine reservoirs
6. Continuous aspiration of cavity during injection of autopsied bodies
7. Clamp all arteries and veins incised during autopsy
8. Clamp drainage veins as soon as blood has cleared
9. Run continuous table water
10. Check hoses on injection machines
11. Keep lids on hazardous waste containers