formaldehyde

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ProPublica: All of the US Is at Risk to Formaldehyde

Investigation finds too-high levels of the ubiquitous chemical across the country

(Newser) - Ask most people what they know about formaldehyde, and they might harken back to a high school frog dissection. A ProPublica investigation provides a far more sobering take: The outlet reports that the chemical is both pervasive—it's "virtually everywhere"—and dangerous, causing more "far more...

New-Car Smell Is More Dangerous on Hot Days
New-Car Smell Is More
Dangerous on Hot Days
NEW STUDY
Jul 28, 2024 4:35 PM CDT

New-Car Smell Is More Dangerous on Hot Days

Chinese researchers raise health concerns as our days keep getting warmer

(Newser) - It's no secret that what people call the "new car smell" is the result of a chemical soup of volatile organic compounds within the vehicle's interior, notes ZME Science . Now, a new study raises a related concern in a warming world: The VOCs appear to intensify when...

WeWork Pulls 2.3K 'Toxic' Phone Booths Out of Service

Insiders say troubled firm plans round of layoffs

(Newser) - The problems are piling up for WeWork: The shared workspace company informed tenants Monday that it has closed 2,300 phone booths at 223 sites in the US and Canada after detecting high levels of a cancer-causing chemical, reports Reuters . The company says it began testing for formaldehyde after a...

Doctors Misread 'Saline' Bottle, Inject Woman With Poison
'Mom, I'm Dying': Error Leads
to Woman 'Embalmed Alive'
in case you missed it
Apr 14, 2018 12:40 PM CDT

'Mom, I'm Dying': Error Leads to Woman 'Embalmed Alive'

Russia's Ekaterina Fedyaeva dies after injection of formaldehyde instead of saline

(Newser) - A Russian woman who went for a routine procedure in hopes of soon becoming pregnant ended up dead after doctors mistakenly injected her with formaldehyde instead of saline—leading to her being "embalmed alive," per the Washington Post . Ekaterina Fedyaeva, in her late 20s, had gone in for...

Study: Artist's Famous Works Were Leaking Poisonous Gas

Damien Hirst and the Tate deny anyone was in danger

(Newser) - It turns out artist Damien Hirst's famous displays of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde may have been dangerous to more than just artistic sensibilities. A study published this month in Analytical Methods found Hirst's pieces were leaking formaldehyde gas at levels 10 times higher than the legal limit...

Turning Up Voltage on E-Cigs a Very Bad Idea
Turning Up Voltage on E-Cigs Is a Very Bad Idea
STUDY SAYS
Jan 22, 2015 4:31 AM CST

Turning Up Voltage on E-Cigs Is a Very Bad Idea

It produces much more formaldehyde than tobacco

(Newser) - It's still too early to say whether e-cigarettes cause cancer the way regular cigarettes do, researchers say, but what they can tell at this stage is that at high voltage, the vapor they produce is a lot higher in at least one carcinogen than traditional smokes. A new study...

In Some E-Cigs, Carcinogens Lurk

 Some E-Cig Users 
 Inhale Formaldehyde 
NEW STUDIES
May 4, 2014 12:38 PM CDT

Some E-Cig Users Inhale Formaldehyde

Studies find dangers in hot-burning, tank-style systems

(Newser) - On the heels of the FDA's new crackdown on e-cigarettes comes more bad news for aficionados of nicotine vapor: Though many assume e-cigs to be infinitely safer than their regular counterparts, the New York Times cites a pair of new studies that find that some e-cigs burn so hot...

'Freaked Out' Scientist Finds Formaldehyde in W. Virginia Water

He tells lawmakers that he's not drinking it

(Newser) - Scientists have found trace amounts of formaldehyde in water from Charleston, West Virginia, weeks after a huge chemical spill. After two chemicals from Freedom Industries leaked into the Elk River around Jan. 9, about 300,000 local residents were quickly told not to drink the water running through their pipes....

Formaldehyde Removed From 'No More Tears' Shampoo

Though Johnson & Johnson say it was never a real problem

(Newser) - Concerned parents, take note: Johnson's Baby Shampoo no longer contains formaldehyde. The 'No More Tears' formula, which has sold billions of bottles across generations, has long contained preservatives that slowly released the carcinogen. But the preservatives won't be present in a new formulation of the shampoo heading...

Formaldehyde Joins List of Carcinogens

Common chemical styrene added to suspected category

(Newser) - The government has declared formaldehyde to be a carcinogen, and it says the common chemical styrene—used in everything from plastic cups to bathroom stalls and boats—is on the list of suspected cancer triggers, reports Bloomberg . Consumers should do what they can to steer clear, but the risks are...

Toxic Katrina Trailers Now House Gulf Workers

Formaldehyde contamination 'no big deal,' buyers say

(Newser) - The toxic trailers that became a symbol of FEMA bungling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have found their way to a fresh disaster. Dozens of the trailers, which investigators found to contain levels of formaldehyde far in excess of federal limits, are being used as temporary housing for workers...

Green Nail Salons Smell a Trend

Workers suffer through long exposure to toxic chemicals, carcinogens

(Newser) - The booming nail salon business has a booming subcategory: green salons. Besides helping the planet, the ecofriendly establishments are healthier than traditional salons for manicurists and other workers, who are exposed to a multitude of toxic chemicals used in their work. “The cost of course is more,” says...

FEMA Too Slow on Katrina Trailer Toxins: Federal Report

Agency didn't announce toxin find until 2 years after people moved in

(Newser) - FEMA was too slow to deal with reports of toxins in trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims, potentially posing a “significant health risk” to thousands along the Gulf Coast, a Homeland Security report says. Residents of the trailers had reported bloody noses, headaches, and worse as a result...

Baby Bath Products Have Carcinogens, Group Says

(Newser) - Common baby shampoos and lotions contain trace amounts of two carcinogens, a public safety group says. Big-name products such as Johnson & Johnson shampoo and Baby Magic lotion tested positive for the cancer-causing chemicals, apparently produced as byproducts during the manufacturing process, reports the Washington Post. Johnson & ...

FEMA to Move Families, Citing Toxins in Trailers

High formaldehyde levels found in lodging of hurricane survivors

(Newser) - FEMA will move thousands of survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita out of their government-supplied trailers because of possibly dangerous levels of formaldehyde, the Times-Picayune reports. Those at greatest risk, including those with current health problems, will be moved into apartments and hotels in the next two weeks, with the...

FEMA Buried Dangers of Katrina Trailers, Reps Charge

Formaldehyde risks ignored in scramble

(Newser) - Democrats on a House committee say the Federal Emergency Management Agency ignored good science in using travel trailers with dangerously high levels of formaldehyde as long-term housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina, CNN reports, adding that FEMA suppressed a report on formaldehyde risks. The emergency agency calls yesterday's accusations "...

FEMA Housing Filled With Toxic Gas, Tests Show

Mobile homes yield readings up to 70 times higher than CDC guidelines

(Newser) - The mobile homes and trailers FEMA provided for displaced New Orleans residents are brimming with toxic formaldehyde gas, according to test results obtained by MSNBC. In 95% of cases, formaldehyde levels were at least twice the CDC’s maximum recommendations. The federal government has not followed through on promises to...

Groups Ask Feds to Regulate Air Fresheners

Environmental lobby claims scents contain toxins, harm health

(Newser) - Air fresheners contain dangerous chemical compounds linked to asthma, cancer, and developmental problems, said a coalition of environmental groups in petitioning the EPA yesterday to regulate the industry. While most companies denied the charges, Walgreen Co. responded by pulling three fresheners off shelves in its 5,850 stores, the San ...

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