[Formaldehyde sensitization in occupational respiratory exposure]

The determination in a total of 180 workmen regularly exposed to varying breathing zone levels of for-maldehyde of an index of sensitization as low as 12.2% may be interpreted to mean that formaldehyde exerts only a rather weak effect on the respiratory tract. It was not possible for allergoses to be clinically established even if consideration was given to technical difficulties encountered in the use of provocative tests conducted for diagnostic purposes. Rather, the conditions of exposure and the results of tests may be regarded as suggestion that the nonspecific symptomatology was produced by irritation. What is also of considerable importance in this connection is that extremely wide difference in individual sensitivity were observed.