Occupational asthma due to formaldehyde resin dust with and without reaction to formaldehyde gas

We report the cases of three subjects who developed asthma after being exposed to formaldehyde dust or gas. For two subjects, specific bronchial provocation tests with formaldehyde gas did not cause significant bronchoconstriction, whereas exposure to formaldehyde resin dust did. One subject experienced asthmatic reaction after being exposed to formaldehyde resin dust and gas. These findings suggest that the physical and chemical properties of formaldehyde are relevant to its likelihood of causing asthma.