HUMAN CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT OF FORMALDEHYDE IN DIFFERENT OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS IN GUIYANG CITY, CHINA

This study was conducted to estimate the risk of human cancer for the inhalation of formaldehyde in different office environments in Guiyang City in China. On-site sampling started in March 2004 and ended in January 2005, and covered three seasons: spring, fall and winter. Samples were taken two or three times per day for two to three consecutive days. The mean formaldehyde concentration in office environments was 0.08 mg/m(3), which was much higher than China National Indoor Air Quality Standard of formaldehyde concentration. The cancer risks were 1.35 x 10(-4) for office workers, and were greater than the acceptable cancer risk 1.00 x 10(-4). The high level cancer risks estimated from this study showed that identifying the formaldehyde sources and adopting methods to eliminate them in office environments are imperative in Guiyang city for protecting human health.