Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Effects of Exposure of Formaldehyde to a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis Induced by Neonatal Capsaicin Treatment
Published on: September 27, 2017
Undeclared formaldehyde levels in patient consumer products: formaldehyde test kit utility
Jason E Ham1, Paul D Siegel1, Howard Maibach2
1a Health Effects Laboratory Division , National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , Morgantown , WV , USA.
Purpose:
Formaldehyde allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) may be due to products with free formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing agents; however, assessment of formaldehyde levels in such products is infrequently conducted. The present study quantifies total releasable formaldehyde from "in-use" products associated with formaldehyde ACD and tests the utility of commercially available formaldehyde spot test kits.
Materials And Methods:
Personal care products from 2 patients with ACD to formaldehyde were initially screened at the clinic for formaldehyde using a formaldehyde spot test kit. Formaldehyde positive products were sent to the laboratory for confirmation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, 4 formaldehyde spot test kits were evaluated for potential utility in a clinical setting.
Results:
Nine of the 10 formaldehyde spot test kit positive products obtained from formaldehyde allergic patients had formaldehyde with total releasable formaldehyde levels ranging from 5.4 to 269.4 µg/g. Of these, only two shampoos tested listed a formaldehyde-releasing agent in the ingredients or product literature. Subsequently, commercially available formaldehyde spot test kits were evaluated in the laboratory for ability to identify formaldehyde in personal care products.
Conclusions:
Chemical based formaldehyde spot test were more reliable than the enzymatic based test in identifying product releasable formaldehyde content. It is concluded that product labeled ingredient lists and available information are often inadequate to confirm the potential for formaldehyde exposure and chemical based spot test kits may have utility for identification of potential formaldehyde exposure from personal care products.
More Related Videos
08:08Formaldehyde-assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements to Measure Chromatin Accessibility in Mammalian Cells
Published on: April 2, 2018
08:11Surgical Training for the Implantation of Neocortical Microelectrode Arrays Using a Formaldehyde-fixed Human Cadaver Model
Published on: November 19, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Leveling Effect
Applications of Integration to Find Consumer Surplus
High-Level and Low-Level Awareness
Levels of Organization
Molecules Are Composed of Atoms, and Biomolecules Are Assembled from Molecules:
The most basic levels include atoms, molecules, and biomolecules. Atoms, the smallest unit of ordinary matter, are composed of a nucleus and electrons. Molecules...
Fermi Level
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
Introduction and Methods of Leveling