Formaldehyde facts for kids
Formaldehyde (also called Methanal) is a special kind of chemical compound. It's a gas that you can't see, but it has a very strong smell. It's also flammable (meaning it can easily catch fire) and toxic (which means it can be harmful to living things).
Contents
What is Formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is the simplest type of a group of chemicals called aldehydes. It's made of one carbon atom, two hydrogen atoms, and one oxygen atom. You can see its shape in the picture.
How is Formaldehyde Used?
Formaldehyde is used in many different ways. One of its main jobs is as a disinfectant. This means it helps to clean things and kill germs. It's also a biocide, which is a fancy word for something that can kill most bacteria and fungi (like mold).
It's used to make many products we use every day. For example, it helps make dyes that color clothes. It also helps make textiles (fabrics) that don't wrinkle easily. Formaldehyde can be found in some preservatives, which help food last longer. It's also used to make explosives and certain polymers, which are materials made of many small units linked together.
In 2005, about 23 million tonnes of formaldehyde were made around the world. That's a huge amount!
Is Formaldehyde Safe?
Because formaldehyde is toxic, it needs to be handled carefully. It can be dangerous if not used properly. In the past, there was an incident at a factory where formaldehyde was being used to make explosives. This led to a serious fire. Because of such dangers, this chemical is now used less often in some areas.
Images for kids
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Injecting a giant squid specimen with formalin for preservation
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Patch test
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Some air purifiers include filtering technology that is supposed to lower indoor formaldehyde concentration.
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Methanediol, the predominant species in dilute aqueous solutions of formaldehyde.
See also
In Spanish: Formaldehído para niños
