Economy
People benefit from products that contain formaldehyde every day. This chemical is a critical and commercially valuable basic building block of our modern society. – While embalming is one of formaldehyde’s earliest and best-known uses, this application represents less than 1% of formaldehyde consumption. On the other hand, products derived from formaldehyde have an extremely broad role in the economy, even though the fact that these products rely on formaldehyde is largely invisible to the public.
In many instances, because of formaldehyde’s unique physical and chemical properties, few compounds can replace it as a raw material without reducing performance and making the final products more expensive. Whether it’s plywood for home construction, fuel system components for automobiles or door and window insulation for modern airliners, using formaldehyde translates into greater utility for consumers in the form of extended use, consistent quality and improved performance and safety.
