On the qualitative identification of formaldehyde and formaldehyde solutions
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This post was last edited by houyanxue on 2015-10-11 at 15:16. Basic information: 1. Formalin solution: The commonly used concentration is 35-40; it is also known as formalin. 2. Formaldehyde: In major hazard sources, a concentration of 90 or higher is defined as a critical level, with a threshold amount of 5 tons. Appendix B of the environmental risk assessment guidelines does not specify any concentration requirement, while the threshold amount there is 0.5 tons. 3. Question: How is the difference between formalin solution and formaldehyde in environmental risk assessment? Should they be treated as two separate substances or as one? What is the starting point and foundation?
1. Based on the concentration of hazardous substances, when identifying major hazard sources, formaldehyde should be considered, but formalin solutions should not. 2. Based on the toxicity of hazardous substances, formaldehyde and formaldehyde solutions are treated the same way in environmental risk assessment.
I agree with your view, but I don’t understand why it’s considered unscientific to make generalizations based on the different concentrations of formaldehyde and formaldehyde solutions. For the same amount of these two substances, although their harmful effects are similar, their impact on the environment is definitely not identical. Some experts suggest converting the solution into its pure form in order to calculate the Q value using critical amounts, but I think that approach isn’t very scientific either. I hope there’s a more scientific way to address this issue