Formaldehyde Facts
Formaldehyde Facts is FCI's small space on the Web to talk about formaldehyde. We'll do our best to separate fact from fiction, and cut through all the clutter you get from the mainstream media when it comes to the industrial uses of the molecule, one of the most versatile industrial chemicals known to man.
Senator Vitter, EPA and the National Academy of Sciences
January 06, 2010
As we noted on Christmas Eve, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to engage the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as the peer review body on the agency's IRIS assessment of formaldehyde. And, as we also noted at the time, that action would have been impossible without U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), who had placed a hold on the nomination of Paul Anastas as the head of the agency's office of Research and Development. Once EPA agreed to the NAS peer review, Senator Vitter lifted the hold and Anastas was confirmed by unanimous consent.
But for some reason, others, like the Swing State Project, still haven't picked up on the news that's already been reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Baton Rouge Advocate.... For those who missed it, here's the relevant portion of FCI Executive Director Betsy's Natz's statement: "Overcoming the agency's intransigence in engaging NAS on formaldehyde would have been impossible without the timely intervention of U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.). In his time in Washington, Senator Vitter has acted as a firm advocate in favor of sound science in the development of public policy, consistently resisting the injection of agenda-driven research into environmental regulation. Both public safety and scientific integrity have been bolstered as the result of Senator Vitter's
Revisiting Formaldehyde in Personal Care Products
January 06, 2010
As you might imagine, we try to keep a close eye on the news here at Formaldehyde Facts, and we couldn't help but notice how the Dallas Morning News reached back into the 2009 news archive to revive some scaremongering from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics on the presence of formaldehyde in personal care products like shampoos and lotions. You'll recall that back in March of last year, the Environmental Working Group set off a media firestorm by claiming that children were at risk.
To remind everyone, here's what FCI Executive Director Betsy Natz said on the same day that the Campaign held their press conference in Washington:
"The claims made today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics about the presence of formaldehyde in commonly used baby products are not only bogus, but also shameful. This is just another example of an activist group using scare tactics to achieve its radical political agenda. In this case, during rough economic times, the activists are seeking to scare young parents away from perfectly safe products that they have purchased with their hard-earned money.
"Parents can rest easy that formaldehyde is among the most studied substances in the marketplace today. It helps to ensure the safety of products used by our children by preventing harmful microorganisms from contaminating and spoiling those products. Government safety agencies in the U.S. and Europe allow the use of formaldehyde in personal care products and cosmetics because of the significant...
Once More With Formaldehyde and Victoria’s Secret
December 24, 2009
On more than one occasion, Formaldehyde Facts has been forced to do some hard work debunking a story concerning Victoria's Secret bras and formaldehyde. The problem: time and time again, despite the fact that we've shared information with the media pointing out the flaws and contradictions of a story that's been flying around the Web for better than a year, reporters, editors and producers find the story too tempting to resist. Too bad it simply isn't true.
The latest example comes from CNN, which posted an "Expert Q&A," written by Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician with the Children's Medical Group. When asked a question concerning formaldehyde in textiles, Dr. Shu wrote: "Formaldehyde is one example of a chemical used on some clothing to prevent the growth of certain bacteria. This preservative has been reported to cause allergic reactions on the skin, especially in areas of friction or sweating (such as rashes found in women wearing bras treated with formaldehyde)."
Yesterday, I tried to leave a comment on the page with a link to the information we've compiled on the story, but for some reason it didn't appear. Then again, I'm not exactly shocked, as we've seen in the past how news programs like Good Morning America seem more or less immune to the facts we present them on the case. For ore on the use of formaldehyde in textiles, click ...Continue Reading »