FORMALDEHYDE IS A COMMON INDOOR AIR POLLUTANT THAT IS COLORLESS WITH A STRONG AND UNIQUE ODOR. IT IS PRESENT IN MEDICAL PRESERVATIVES, AS A COMPONENT OF SURGICAL SMOKE, ADHESIVES, PARTICLEBOARD, PAINTS AND COATINGS, PAPER, FOAM, ETC. WORKERS CAN INHALE FORMALDEHYDE IN THE GAS FORM AND ADSORB IT IN THE LIQUID FORM THROUGH THE SKIN. EXPOSURE MAY RESULT IN IRRITATED OR BURNING EYES, STUFFY NOSE AND SKIN RASHES. IT IS ALSO KNOWN TO CAUSE HEADACHES AND FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS. CHRONIC EXPOSURE MAY ALSO RESULT IN BRONCHITIS. IT CAN ALSO TRIGGER OTHER AILMENTS LIKE ASTHMA, AND BEHAVE AS AN ALLERGEN. IT IS ONE OF THE ONLY VOC’S REGULATED BY THE EPA.HOWEVER, OSHA REGULATES IT AS A KNOWN CARCINOGEN. FORMALDEHYDE IS ALSO A CONCERN IN OTHER INDUSTRIES SUCH AS HEALTHCARE-HUMAN AND ANIMAL, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN A LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, PULP AND PAPER, AUTOMOTIVE, MARITIME, AND SO ON. IT IS ALSO A COMMON CONTAMINANT INVESTIGATED IN VAPOR INTRUSION, SICK BUILDING, AND BUILDING RELATED ILLNESS CASES. AFTER ABSORPTION BY ANIMALS AND HUMANS, FORMALDEHYDE CAN BE METABOLIZED AND DISTRIBUTED RAPIDLY TO THE ENTIRE BODY. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS NO EXPOSURE- RELATED INCREASE IN THE BLOOD CONCENTRATION OF HUMAN VOLUNTEERS AFTER EXPOSURE TO 2.3 MG/M3 FORMALDEHYDE FOR 40 MINUTES (HECK ET AL., 1985). FOLLOWING A SIX-HOUR INHALATION EXPOSURE OF RATS TO 14CFORMALDEHYDE, RADIOACTIVITY WAS EXTENSIVELY DISTRIBUTED IN OTHER TISSUES, INDICATING THAT ABSORBED14C-FORMALDEHYDE AND ITS METABOLITES ARE RAPIDLY REMOVED BY THE MUCOSAL BLOOD SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE BODY (JOHANSSON AND TJALVE, 1978).