Lakhasly

Formaldehyde is a widely produced chemical with diverse applications. Primarily used for producing resins, it finds its way into various industries like wood products, paper, textiles, and building construction. It serves as a disinfectant and fumigant in diluted form, and a preservative for tissue samples in concentrated form (formalin). Naturally occurring in the environment due to processes like methane breakdown and forest fires, formaldehyde quickly breaks down through sunlight, rain, and biodegradation.

Formaldehyde is produced in large quantities industrially. It is mainly used to produce other chemicals and in the production of resins. Formaldehyde resins are used as adhesives and binders in many different industries that produce wood products, pulp and paper, synthetic fibres, plastics and coating and textiles. Formaldehyde–urea resin is used as an insulating material in building construction. Formaldehyde may also be used under restriction in the EU as a preservative in cosmetics and nail hardening products.
Formaldehyde at approximately 5% in a solution with water is used as a disinfectant and fumigant in hospitals, ships, dwellings and animal handling facilities, as it is effective in killing most bacteria, viruses and fungi.
A solution of approximately 37% formaldehyde is commonly known as formalin and is used to store and preserve tissue samples in laboratories and museums.
How formaldehyde gets into the environment
Formaldehyde can occur naturally in the environment from the breakdown of methane by sunlight, as a result of forest and bush fires, and from volcanic activity. Formaldehyde breaks down quickly in the environment and is removed from the air by sunlight, rain and biodegradation.