Chico Zip Codes Have High Risk Of Cancer-Causing Formaldehyde

CHICO, CA — Formaldehyde, which causes more cancer than any other toxic chemical in the outdoor air, puts most of the country at risk, including in Chico, according to a new analysis from Pro Publica.

“In a world flush with hazardous air pollutants, there is one that causes far more cancer than any other, one that is so widespread that nobody in the United States is safe from it,” the nonprofit investigative journalism organization’s report said. “It is a chemical so pervasive that … it exposes everyone to elevated risks of developing cancer no matter where they live. And perhaps most worrisome, it often poses the greatest risk in the one place people feel safest: inside their homes.”

Pro Publica makes it easy to determine the risks of the chemical and where it comes from. The riskiest blocks in California are:

1. San Diego zip code 92111–1 in 15,000 risk incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
2. Boulder Creek zip code 95006–1 in 15,000 risk incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
3. Davenport zip code 95060–1 in 16,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
4. Felton zip code 95066–1 in 17,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
5. Felton zip code 95018–1 in 17,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
6. Ben Lomond zip code 95005–1 in 17,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
7. Mount Hermon zip code 95041–1 in 17,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
8. Brookdale zip code 95007–1 in 17,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
9. Los Gatos zip code 95033–1 in 19,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
10. Huntington Beach zip code 92646–1 in 22,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
11. Roseville zip code 95678–1 in 25,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
12. Santa Cruz zip code 95064–1 in 26,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
13. Redlands zip code 92373 –1 in 28,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
14. Torrance zip code 90504–1 in 28,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
15. Chico zip code 95926–1 in 28,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde
16. Chico zip code 95928–1 in 28,000 incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde

Formaldehyde exposure can also trigger asthma, miscarriages and cause fertility problems. The chemical is used in multiple ways, from preserving bodies in funeral homes to sanitizing some of the food on your table. It is emitted by cars, trucks and planes. It is also used to make the resins in adhesives and binders for particleboard, paper, plastics and other products; and has many other uses.

Formaldehyde can also form in the atmosphere when other chemicals are exposed to sunlight and, depending on the geography and climate of a specific neighborhood, that may increase the risk to people who don’t live in high-traffic or industrial areas, the report said.

Despite the risk, little is being done to more strictly regulate the use of formaldehyde. A powerful business lobby has thwarted attempts at reform by the Environmental Protection Agency, which Pro Publica said “has significantly underestimated the dangers posed by formaldehyde.”

The EPA is expected to create rules that could restrict the use of formaldehyde yet this month, but Pro Publica said the agency ignored its own scientists’ conclusions about the likelihood of the chemical causing the potentially fatal blood cancer myeloid leukemia, which strikes an estimated 29,000 people in the United States every year.

The EPA said the estimate for the number of people diagnosed with the cancer was “too uncertain” to include, a decision backed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. However, four government scientists with experience in analyzing health risks told Pro Publica the estimate was sound, and one said it is likely greater than the estimate.

» Read the Pro Publica story and more about the analysis.