Notice of RetractionUbiquitous Formaldehyde Exposure and Public Health Concerns in China

Notice of Retraction

After careful and considered review of the content of this paper by a duly constituted expert committee, this paper has been found to be in violation of IEEE´s Publication Principles.

We hereby retract the content of this paper. Reasonable effort should be made to remove all past references to this paper.

The presenting author of this paper has the option to appeal this decision by contacting TPII@ieee.org.

Formaldehyde is a ubiquitous chemical that can be found in work places, office buildings, new homes, some food and drugs, and almost everywhere in our environment. Recently, the IARC and US NTP reevaluated the weights of evidence on the adverse health effects of formaldehyde and concluded that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer and myeloid leukemia in humans. Formaldehyde is associated with many other non-cancer health problems, including irritation, allergies, and toxic effects on immune-, neuro-, respiratory, reproductive, and hematological systems. Evidence for an association with sick building syndrome (SBS), which has been reported in the US, Japan and China, is also growing. As a fast developing country, China´s demand for more for maldehyde has lead to its position as the number one producer in the world. Thus, indoor air pollution and high levels of exposure to formaldehyde have become major public concerns in China. Since there is only a limited understanding of formaldehyde-induced cancer and other health effects, it is recommended that more research be conducted to further elucidate mechanisms of action of formaldehyde.