| formaldehyde |
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Environmental Fate - Ecotoxicology - Human Health - A to Z Index - Home
GENERAL INFORMATION 
for formaldehyde
Description: Used as a disinfectant for soil, equipment, yards etc. Also used as an animal husbandry fungicide. Can also be a pesticide transformation product
Example pests controlled: Most bacteria and fungi
Example applications: Non-cropped areas; Growing media; Equipment; Flower tubers & bulbs
Efficacy & activity: -
Availability status: Current
Introduction & key dates: 1888
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414):
| Status | Not approved |
| Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur | - |
| Date inclusion expires | Expired |
| EU Candidate for substitution (CfS) | - |
| Listed in EU database | Yes |
Approved for use (
) or known to be used (
) in the following European countries: 
AT |
BE |
BG |
CY |
CZ |
DE |
DK |
EE |
EL |
ES |
FI |
FR |
HR |
HU |
IE |
IT |
LT |
LU |
LV |
MT |
NL |
PL |
PT |
RO |
SE |
SI |
SK |
UK |
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Also used in: USA
Chemical structure:
| Isomerism | None |
| Chemical formula | CH2O |
| Canonical SMILES | C=O |
| Isomeric SMILES | No data |
| International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey) | WSFSSNUMVMOOMR-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| International Chemical Identifier (InChI) | InChI=1S/CH2O/c1-2/h1H2 |
| 2D structure diagram/image available? | Yes |
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams:
| Common Name | Relationship | Link |
| Formaldehyde | - |  |
General status:
| Pesticide type | Fungicide, Bactericide, Metabolite, Other substance | |||
| Metabolite Type | Soil, Water | |||
| Other constituent type | Inert solvent | |||
| Substance group | Unclassified | |||
| Minimum active substance purity | - | |||
| Known relevant impurities | - | |||
| Substance origin | Synthetic | |||
| Mode of action | Acts by protein denaturation | |||
| CAS RN | 50-00-0 | |||
| EC number | 200-001-8 | |||
| CIPAC number | 156 | |||
| US EPA chemical code | 043001 | |||
| PubChem CID | 712 | |||
| Molecular mass (g mol-1) | 30.03 | |||
| PIN (Preferred Identification Name) | - | |||
| IUPAC name | formaldehyde | |||
| CAS name | formaldehyde | |||
| Other status information | Listed on USA Toxic Release Inventory; Registered as a UK Commodity Substance | |||
| Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards | UK Environment Agency non-statutory standard for the protection of aquatic life in fresh surface water: 5 ug/L as annual average, 50 ug/L as max acceptable conc.] | |||
| Herbicide Resistance Classification (HRAC) | Not applicable | |||
| Herbicide Resistance Classification (WSSA) | Not applicable | |||
| Insecticide Resistance Classification (IRAC) | Not applicable | |||
| Fungicide Resistance Classification (FRAC) | Not applicable | |||
| Examples of recorded resistance | - | |||
| Physical state | Gas | |||
| Related substances & organisms | - | |||
Can be a metabolite of:
| Parent | Formation medium | Estimated maximum occurrence fraction | 1107/2009 relevancy |
|
| daminozide | Soil | 0.210 | Major fraction, Not relevant | |
| bronopol | Soil | Not relevant | ||
| trioxymethylene | Acid media | Major fraction; Relevant | ||
| dazomet | Soil | 0.205 | Major fraction, Relevant | |
Formulations:
| Property |
Value | |||
| Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically | - | |||
| Example products using this active |
|
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| UK LERAP status | None | |||
| Formulation and application details | Often used as a dip, drench or spray treatment. May also be used as a fumigant to sterilise animal houses. | |||
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
for formaldehyde
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Solubility - In water at 20oC (mg l-1) | 550000 | C4 | High | |
| Solubility - In organic solvents at 20oC (mg l-1) | Miscible | C4 - Acetone | - | |
| Melting point (oC) | -92 | B5 | - | |
| Boiling point (oC) | -19.2 | B5 | - | |
| Degradation point (oC) | - | - | - | |
| Flashpoint (oC) | 50 | V3 | - | |
| Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20oC | P | 2.24 X 1000 | Calculated | - |
| Log P | 0.35 | V3 | Low | |
| Bulk density (g ml-1)/Specific gravity | 0.82 | L3 | - | |
| Dissociation constant (pKa) at 25oC | 13.27 | V3 | - | |
| Note: Strong base | ||||
| Vapour pressure at 20oC (mPa) | 53300000 | C4 | Highly volatile | |
| Henry's law constant at 25oC (Pa m3 mol-1) | 3.41 X 10-02 | V3 | Non-volatile | |
GUS leaching potential index  |
0.68 | Calculated | Low leachability | |
| SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l-1) for a 1 kg ha-1 or 1 l ha-1 application rate |
Value | 1.64 X 10-03 | Calculated | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Potential for particle bound transport index |
- | Calculated | Low | |
| Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol-1 cm-1 | - | - | - | |
| Surface tension (mN m-1) | - | - | - | |
Degradation:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
General biodegradability | - |
| Soil degradation (days) (aerobic) | DT50 (typical) | 6 | Q2 | Non-persistent |
| DT50 (lab at 20oC) | 1.9 | A5 | Non-persistent | |
| DT50 (field) | - | - | - | |
| DT90 (lab at 20oC) | - | - | - | |
| DT90 (field) | - | - | - | |
| DT50 modelling endpoint | - | - | - | |
| Note | Other sources: DT50 2-20 days | |||
| Dissipation rate RL50 on plant matrix | Value | - | - | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Dissipation rate RL50 on and in plant matrix | Value | - | - | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Aqueous photolysis DT50 (days) at pH 7 | Value | - | - | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Aqueous hydrolysis DT50 (days) at 20oC and pH 7 | Value | Stable | P2 | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Water-sediment DT50 (days) | - | - | - | |
| Water phase only DT50 (days) | - | - | - | |
Soil adsorption and mobility:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Linear | Kd | - | A3 | Mobile |
| Koc | 37 | |||
| Notes and range | Other sources: DT50 2-20 days | |||
| Freundlich | Kf | - | - | - |
| Kfoc | - | |||
| 1/n | - | |||
| Notes and range | - | |||
| pH sensitivity | - | |||
ECOTOXICOLOGY
for formaldehyde
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Bio-concentration factor | BCF (l kg-1) | 0.2 | Q2 | Low potential |
| CT50 (days) | Not available | - | ||
| Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 550 | L3 Rat | Moderate | |
| Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL | (mg kg-1) | - | Q2 Unknown species | - |
| (ppm diet) | 50 | - | ||
| Birds - Acute LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 5000 | F4 Anas platyrhynchos | Low | |
| Birds - Short term dietary (LC50/LD50) | - | - | - | |
| Fish - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1) | > 1.84 | A5 Oncorhynchus mykiss | Moderate | |
| Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC50 (mg l-1) | > 0.43 | A5 Daphnia magna | Moderate | |
| Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg-1) | - | - | - | |
| Aquatic plants - Acute 7 day EC50, biomass (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Non-target plants | - | - | - | |
| - | - | - | ||
| Algae - Acute 72 hour EC50, growth (mg l-1) | > 0.88 | A4 Unknown species | Moderate | |
| Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Honeybees (Apis spp.) | Contact acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - |
| Oral acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - | |
| Unknown mode acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - | |
| Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) | Contact acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - |
| - | ||||
| Oral acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - | |
| - | ||||
| Mason bees (Osmia spp.) | Contact acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - |
| Oral acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1) | - | - | - | |
| Other pollinators (1) | Acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect-1) | - | - | - |
| Mode of exposure | - | |||
| Other pollinators (2) | Acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect-1) | - | - | - |
| Mode of exposure | - | |||
| Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC50 (mg kg-1) | - | - | - | |
| Earthworms - Chronic 14 day NOEC, reproduction (mg kg-1) | - | - | - | |
| Other soil macro-organisms - e.g. Collembola | LR50 / EC50 / NOEC / % Effect | - | - | - |
| Other arthropod (1) | LR50 g ha-1 | - | - | - |
| % Effect | - | - | - | |
| Other arthropod (2) | LR50 g ha-1 | - | - | - |
| % Effect | - | - | - | |
| Soil micro-organisms | - | - | - | |
| Mesocosm study data | NOEAEC mg l-1 | - | - | - |
| NOEAEC mg l-1 | - | - | - | |
HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION
for formaldehyde
General:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class) |
Low (class I) | - | - | |
| Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 550 | L3 Rat | Moderate | |
| Mammals - Dermal LD50 (mg kg-1 body weight) | 270 | B5 Rabbit | - | |
| Mammals - Inhalation LC50 (mg l-1) | > 0.6 | B5 Rat, 4 hr | - | |
| Other Mammal toxicity endpoints | - | - | ||
| ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg-1 bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| Dermal penetration studies (%) | - | - | - | |
| Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464 | - | - | - | |
| Exposure Routes | Public | Most probable exposure route is via inhalation | ||
| Occupational | Most probable exposure route is via inhalation - PPE/PPC essential | |||
| European MRLs | Click here for the EU MRL pesticide database | |||
| Drinking Water Standards | - | - | - | |
| Drinking Water MAC (μg l-1) | - | - | - | |
Health issues:
| Carcinogen | Genotoxic | Endocrine disrupter | Reproduction / development effects | Cholinesterase inhibitor | Neurotoxicant | |||
|
A0; B0; C0; D0; E1 | - |
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| Respiratory tract irritant | Skin irritant | Skin sensitiser | Eye irritant | Phototoxicant | ||||
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| General human health issues | IARC group 1 carcinogen, UK HSE - carcinogen Severe obstructive tracheobronchitis may result from inhalation causing throat spasms and a build up of fluid in the lungs, leading to death May cause serious damage of the gastrointestinal tract |
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| Key: Genotoxicity A: Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) B: DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) C: Gene mutation (EFSA database) D: Genome mutation (EFSA database) E: Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 0: No data 1: Positive 2: Mixed/ambiguous results 3: Negative |
Key: Other : Yes, known to cause a problem  : No, known not to cause a problem  : Possibly, status not identified - : No data found |
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Handling issues:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| General |
Flammable gas Reacts explosively with peroxides and performic acid IMDG Tranport class 3 |
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| CLP classification 2013 | Health: H301, H311, H314, H317, H331, H341, H350 | |||
| EC Risk Classification |
Carcinogen category 3: R40 T - Toxic: R23/24/25 Xn - Harmful: R43 H - Handling risks: R34 |
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| EC Safety Classification |
S1/2, S26, S36/37/39, S45, S51 | |||
| WHO Classification | FM | - | Fumigant, not classified | |
| UN Number | 1198 | |||
| Waste disposal & packaging |
Packaging Group III (minor danger) | |||
| Language | Name |
| English | formaldehyde |
| French | formaldehyde |
| German | Formaldehyd |
| Danish | formaldehyd |
| Italian | formaldeide |
| Spanish | formaldehído |
| Greek | - |
| Slovenian | formaldehid |
| Polish | formaldehyd |
| Swedish | - |
| Hungarian | - |
| Dutch | formaldehyde |
Record last updated: Wednesday 31 October 2018
Contact: aeru@herts.ac.uk