Regulatory Context
Regulatory Context
Table 2 summarizes pertinent regulations that affect the use of formaldehyde both in the United States and internationally.
Table 2. Summary of Regulations
| US Federal Regulation | |
| Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act |
|
| Clean Air Act |
|
| Occupational Safety and Health Act |
|
| Safe Drinking Water Act | Federal drinking water guidelines are for no more than 1,000 mg/l formaldehyde. |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | All household products with 1% or more formaldehyde to bear a warning label. |
| FIFRA | Registered pesticide |
| Massachusetts Regulations | |
| Toxics Use Reduction Act | Designated as a high hazard substance, and subject to reporting when more than 1,000 lb/year used |
| Public and Environmental Health | Ambient Air Guidelines: 24-hour threshold effects exposure limit is 2 ppb; allowable ambient limit: 0.06 ppb |
| Other U.S. State Regulations | |
| California | Listed as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxics Act of 1986 |
| International Regulations | |
| European Union | Formaldehyde is a candidate for authorization under the REACH directive |
| Non-Regulatory Initiatives | |
| Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design | No urea-formaldehyde resins may be used in building products under this leadership standard |
Endnotes
- Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA), Section 313: Chemical List for Reporting Year 2009. Available at http://www.epa.gov/tri/trichemicals/chemical%20lists/RY2009ChemicalList.pdf;
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPCRA Requirements, List of Lists Details: Formaldehyde. Avaliable at http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/lol.nsf/9628f01801ed88d085256ed200780173/14d57366c88ca79c85256ec20059523a!OpenDocument;
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 List of Hazardous Air Pollutants. Available at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/orig189.html;
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Workplace Safety and Health, NOISH Pocket Guide to Chemical hazards: Formaldehyde. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/;
- Scorecard: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) List of Registered Pesticides. Available at http://scorecard.org/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short_list_name=pest;
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Revised Air Guidelines. Available at http://www.mass.gov/dep/toxics/stypes/telaal.htm .