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Formaldehyde is widely used as a disinfectant, fungicide, fixative or binder in many industries, such as chemical industry, agriculture and construction, etc.
, and its use has gradually declined due to new understanding of its toxicity
.
Formaldehyde was listed as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2004 and 2012, based on strong evidence that it causes nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia
.
In addition, excessive exogenous formaldehyde exposure can cause cognitive impairment in animals, but few studies have investigated the effects of exogenous formaldehyde exposure on cognitive performance in humans
.
Recently, a neurologist from the University of Montpellier in France published a research result entitled "Association Between Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde and Cognitive Impairment" in the internationally renowned journal Neurology.
The study shows that long-term exposure to formaldehyde during work may be related to future cognitive impairment
.
"We know that exposure to formaldehyde is associated with some cancers, but our findings suggest that exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may also be associated with poorer cognitive function ,
" said Dr Letellier, a researcher at Neurology
.
People exposed to formaldehyde at work should take precautions as much as possible to reduce exposure to this dangerous chemical
.
" The study surveyed 75,322 participants (median age: 57.
5 years, women: 53%), 8% (i.
e.
6,047 people) have been exposed to formaldehyde in their careers
.
The research team divided the participants into formaldehyde-exposed and non-formaldehyde-exposed groups
.
Among these participants, the median age of the exposed and non-exposed groups was 57.
5 (52-63) and 58 (51.
5-64) years, respectively
.
The main occupational groups exposed to formaldehyde are nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, followed by unskilled production workers (eg textile, chemical, metal industries), carpenters and cleaners
.
In addition, participants in the exposed group were more exposed to other solvents, repetitive work, noisy work, and especially night shift work (52% vs 17% in the non-formaldehyde exposure group)
.
Table 1 Characteristics of participants by occupational presence/absence of formaldehyde (table source: Neurology) In the cohort of participants, the researchers used standardized 7-item cognitive tests (word recall, memory, attention, reasoning, and thinking) etc.
) to assess the overall cognitive functioning of the participants
.
After adjusting for age, gender, education and other factors, the researchers tested cognitive performance in the formaldehyde-exposed and non-exposed groups by DSST
.
The Digital Symbol Switching Test (DSST) is a number-to-symbol coding table in which subjects match symbols to numbers according to the coding table as much as possible within 90 seconds.
It is a good indicator for testing memory, reaction speed,
etc.
Findings showed that the median DSST was 63 (54-73) and 66 (57-76) in the exposed and non-exposed groups, respectively, suggesting that people exposed to formaldehyde at work were at higher risk for thinking and memory problems
.
Unfortunately, the same was true for other types of cognitive tests the researchers tested
.
Table 2 Effects of formaldehyde exposure on cognitive performance according to occupational presence/absence (table source: Neurology) Next, the researchers further assessed the relationship between formaldehyde occupational exposure and risk of cognitive impairment
.
The findings showed that formaldehyde exposure was associated with impairment of the cognitive functions tested, independent of socioeconomic factors and work conditions
.
Compared with the non-exposed group, the exposed group had a higher risk of overall cognitive impairment (aRR::1.
17; 95%CI:1.
11-1.
23)
.
In addition, the findings showed that the length of career exposure to formaldehyde was significantly associated with the risk of cognitive impairment
.
Compared with the non-exposed group, participants exposed for ≥22 years had a higher risk of cognitive impairment, such as short-term memory impairment (aRR: 1.
26; 95%CI: 1.
16-1.
38), speech fluency (aRR: 1.
22; 95%CI: 1.
12-1.
34), TMT-B (aRR: 1.
21; 95%CI: 1.
11-1.
32), and overall cognitive score (aRR: 1.
21; 95%CI: 1.
11-1.
32)
.
The study data suggest that the longer the exposure time, the higher the risk of cognitive impairment
.
Higher cumulative exposure to formaldehyde (high CEI) was also significantly associated with risk of cognitive impairment for most items tested (aRR: 1.
25 for DSST; 95% CI: 1.
15-1.
35)
.
Significantly, the findings also showed that participants with past formaldehyde exposure (ie exposure before 2001) had a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to participants with more recent exposure (ie exposure after 2002)
.
However, formaldehyde-related cognitive deficits were not completely attenuated over time, especially in highly exposed participants (for DSST, aRR 1.
23 for past high exposure, 95% CI: 1.
11-1.
36; recent high exposure Exposure: aRR 1.
24, 95%CI: 1.
13-1.
35)
.
Similar results were obtained in overall cognitive impairment (aRR 1.
15 for high past exposure, 95%CI: 1.
04-1.
27; aRR 1.
20 for high recent exposure, 95%CI: 1.
09-1.
31)
.
Correlation between participants' time measures since last exposure and risk of cognitive impairment (Credit: Neurology) Formaldehyde use has decreased over the past few decades; however, our findings Highlights the fact that thousands of people are still exposed to formaldehyde at work, so they may be at risk for cognitive impairment later on
.
Furthermore, he further emphasized that the study does not prove that exposure to formaldehyde causes cognitive impairment, it only shows an association
.
In conclusion, this article provides evidence that occupational exposure to formaldehyde affects cognitive performance with a large sample of young and middle-aged French
.
Namely, longer and higher levels of formaldehyde exposure were associated with cognitive impairment
.
Recent high exposure to formaldehyde was associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, and may not fully mitigate formaldehyde-related cognitive deficits over time
.
End reference: [1]Letellier N, GutierrezLA, Pilorget C, et al.
Association Between Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde and Cognitive Impairment [J].
Neurology2021, Dec22:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000013146.
doi: 10.
1212/WNL.
000000000013146.
, and its use has gradually declined due to new understanding of its toxicity
.
Formaldehyde was listed as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2004 and 2012, based on strong evidence that it causes nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia
.
In addition, excessive exogenous formaldehyde exposure can cause cognitive impairment in animals, but few studies have investigated the effects of exogenous formaldehyde exposure on cognitive performance in humans
.
Recently, a neurologist from the University of Montpellier in France published a research result entitled "Association Between Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde and Cognitive Impairment" in the internationally renowned journal Neurology.
The study shows that long-term exposure to formaldehyde during work may be related to future cognitive impairment
.
"We know that exposure to formaldehyde is associated with some cancers, but our findings suggest that exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may also be associated with poorer cognitive function ,
" said Dr Letellier, a researcher at Neurology
.
People exposed to formaldehyde at work should take precautions as much as possible to reduce exposure to this dangerous chemical
.
" The study surveyed 75,322 participants (median age: 57.
5 years, women: 53%), 8% (i.
e.
6,047 people) have been exposed to formaldehyde in their careers
.
The research team divided the participants into formaldehyde-exposed and non-formaldehyde-exposed groups
.
Among these participants, the median age of the exposed and non-exposed groups was 57.
5 (52-63) and 58 (51.
5-64) years, respectively
.
The main occupational groups exposed to formaldehyde are nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, followed by unskilled production workers (eg textile, chemical, metal industries), carpenters and cleaners
.
In addition, participants in the exposed group were more exposed to other solvents, repetitive work, noisy work, and especially night shift work (52% vs 17% in the non-formaldehyde exposure group)
.
Table 1 Characteristics of participants by occupational presence/absence of formaldehyde (table source: Neurology) In the cohort of participants, the researchers used standardized 7-item cognitive tests (word recall, memory, attention, reasoning, and thinking) etc.
) to assess the overall cognitive functioning of the participants
.
After adjusting for age, gender, education and other factors, the researchers tested cognitive performance in the formaldehyde-exposed and non-exposed groups by DSST
.
The Digital Symbol Switching Test (DSST) is a number-to-symbol coding table in which subjects match symbols to numbers according to the coding table as much as possible within 90 seconds.
It is a good indicator for testing memory, reaction speed,
etc.
Findings showed that the median DSST was 63 (54-73) and 66 (57-76) in the exposed and non-exposed groups, respectively, suggesting that people exposed to formaldehyde at work were at higher risk for thinking and memory problems
.
Unfortunately, the same was true for other types of cognitive tests the researchers tested
.
Table 2 Effects of formaldehyde exposure on cognitive performance according to occupational presence/absence (table source: Neurology) Next, the researchers further assessed the relationship between formaldehyde occupational exposure and risk of cognitive impairment
.
The findings showed that formaldehyde exposure was associated with impairment of the cognitive functions tested, independent of socioeconomic factors and work conditions
.
Compared with the non-exposed group, the exposed group had a higher risk of overall cognitive impairment (aRR::1.
17; 95%CI:1.
11-1.
23)
.
In addition, the findings showed that the length of career exposure to formaldehyde was significantly associated with the risk of cognitive impairment
.
Compared with the non-exposed group, participants exposed for ≥22 years had a higher risk of cognitive impairment, such as short-term memory impairment (aRR: 1.
26; 95%CI: 1.
16-1.
38), speech fluency (aRR: 1.
22; 95%CI: 1.
12-1.
34), TMT-B (aRR: 1.
21; 95%CI: 1.
11-1.
32), and overall cognitive score (aRR: 1.
21; 95%CI: 1.
11-1.
32)
.
The study data suggest that the longer the exposure time, the higher the risk of cognitive impairment
.
Higher cumulative exposure to formaldehyde (high CEI) was also significantly associated with risk of cognitive impairment for most items tested (aRR: 1.
25 for DSST; 95% CI: 1.
15-1.
35)
.
Significantly, the findings also showed that participants with past formaldehyde exposure (ie exposure before 2001) had a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared to participants with more recent exposure (ie exposure after 2002)
.
However, formaldehyde-related cognitive deficits were not completely attenuated over time, especially in highly exposed participants (for DSST, aRR 1.
23 for past high exposure, 95% CI: 1.
11-1.
36; recent high exposure Exposure: aRR 1.
24, 95%CI: 1.
13-1.
35)
.
Similar results were obtained in overall cognitive impairment (aRR 1.
15 for high past exposure, 95%CI: 1.
04-1.
27; aRR 1.
20 for high recent exposure, 95%CI: 1.
09-1.
31)
.
Correlation between participants' time measures since last exposure and risk of cognitive impairment (Credit: Neurology) Formaldehyde use has decreased over the past few decades; however, our findings Highlights the fact that thousands of people are still exposed to formaldehyde at work, so they may be at risk for cognitive impairment later on
.
Furthermore, he further emphasized that the study does not prove that exposure to formaldehyde causes cognitive impairment, it only shows an association
.
In conclusion, this article provides evidence that occupational exposure to formaldehyde affects cognitive performance with a large sample of young and middle-aged French
.
Namely, longer and higher levels of formaldehyde exposure were associated with cognitive impairment
.
Recent high exposure to formaldehyde was associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, and may not fully mitigate formaldehyde-related cognitive deficits over time
.
End reference: [1]Letellier N, GutierrezLA, Pilorget C, et al.
Association Between Occupational Exposure to Formaldehyde and Cognitive Impairment [J].
Neurology2021, Dec22:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000013146.
doi: 10.
1212/WNL.
000000000013146.
