Job-related formaldehyde exposure and ALS mortality in the USA

At a glance

A study of the association between job-related formaldehyde exposure and ALS

Affiliates

Andrea L Roberts1, Norman J Johnson2, Merit E Cudkowicz3,4, Ki-Do Eum5, Marc G Weisskopf5,6

  1. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  2. United States Census Bureau
  3. Harvard Medical School
  4. Department of Neurology, MGH MDA ALS Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital
  5. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  6. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Journal

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry

Summary

This study examines the association of ALS mortality with job-related formaldehyde exposure in the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), a US-representative cohort with occupation data collected prospectively. High probability of formaldehyde exposure versus no exposure predicted an almost three times higher rate of ALS mortality in men. High-probability, high-intensity exposure was associated in men with increased rate of ALS mortality, although there were only two ALS deaths among these highly exposed men.

Link to paper

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry