My wife is exposed to (hopefully low levels of) formaldehyde [formalin, actually] where she works. She’s starting to notice irregularities in her menstual cycle, and she wonders if these are related to formaldehyde exposure. I’ve searched and found this page from the EPA’s web site that has a tantilizing bit of information:
[quote]
Reproductive/Developmental Effects[of formaldehyde]:
[ul][li]An increased incidence of menstrual disorders and pregnancy problems were observed in women workers using urea-formaldehyde resins. However, possible confounding factors were not evaluated in this study.[/li][li]A study of hospital equipment sterilizing workers did not report an association between formaldehyde exposure and increased spontaneous abortions.[/li][li]Developmental effects, such as birth defects, have not been observed in animal studies with formaldehyde.[/ul][/li][/quote]
A little info, but not a lot. Is anyone aware of a more in-depth resource on the health effects of formaldehyde, particularly with respect to reproductive systems?