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Review
. 2021 Dec 29;14(1):165.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14010165.

The Carcinogenic Effects of Formaldehyde Occupational Exposure: A Systematic Review

Carmela Protano  1 , Giuseppe Buomprisco  2 , Vittoria Cammalleri  1 , Roberta Noemi Pocino  1 , Daniela Marotta  1 , Stefano Simonazzi  2 , Francesca Cardoni  2 , Marta Petyx  3 , Sergio Iavicoli  3 , Matteo Vitali  1
Affiliations
Review

The Carcinogenic Effects of Formaldehyde Occupational Exposure: A Systematic Review

Carmela Protano et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Formaldehyde, classified as a carcinogen in 2004, as of today is widely used in many work activities. From its classification, further studies were performed to evaluate its carcinogenicity. The aim of the systematic review is to update the evidence on occupational exposure to formaldehyde and cancer onset.

Methods: The review, in accordance with the PRISMA statement, includes articles in English reporting original results of studies conducted on workers exposed to formaldehyde, considering all types of cancer, published from 1 January 2000 to 30 July 2021 and selected from the Pubmed and Scopus databases. The studies' quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Results: A total of 21 articles were included, conducted in different European, American, and Asian countries. The most investigated occupational areas are those characterized by a deliberate use of formaldehyde. Some studies evaluated all types of cancer, whereas others focused on specific sites such as thyroid and respiratory, lymphohematopoietic, or central nervous systems. The results showed weak associations with lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Conclusions: The results demonstrate the need for further original studies carried out on representative samples of workers exposed to measured levels of FA. These studies should be designed to reduce the bias due to co-exposure to other carcinogens.

Keywords: cancer risk; carcinogenicity; formaldehyde; occupational exposure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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