‘Nobody Is Safe’: Track Your Risk Of Cancer-Causing Formaldehyde In MD

MARYLAND — Formaldehyde, which causes more cancer than any other toxic chemical in the outdoor air, puts most of the country at risk, including communities in Maryland, 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 Maryland and their ZIP codes are:

• Wiltondale, Towson, 21286 ZIP code. The cancer risk from formaldehyde alone on this block is 1 in 40,000, which is about 150% higher than the midpoint of that range.
• Dundee, Glen Burnie, 21061. The cancer risk on this block is 1 in 41,000, which is about 144% higher than the midpoint.
• Yorkleigh, Towson, 21204. The cancer risk on this block is 1 in 43,000, which is about 144% higher than the midpoint.
• Gambrills, 21054, 1 in 46,000 risk
• Upper Marlboro, 20772, 1 in 49,000 risk
• Severn, 21144, 1 in 50,000 risk
• Gaithersburg, 20878, 1 in 50,000 risk
• Suitland, 20746, 1 in 50,000 risk
• District Heights, 20747, 1 in 50,000 risk
• Brentwood, 20722, 1 in 50,000 risk
• Hyattsville, 20781, 1 in 50,000 risk
• Suitland, 20748, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Mount Rainier, 20712, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Oxon Hill, 20745, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Landover, 20785, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Capitol Heights, 20743, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Bladensburg, 20710, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Andrews AFB, 20762, 1 in 51,000 risk
• Silver Spring, 20903, 1 in 51,000 risk

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.