Attorney General Bonta Opposes EPA’s Backtracking on Formaldehyde Risk

Proposed risk calculation underestimates cancer risk and abandons longstanding science-based method for evaluating chemicals 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a multistate comment letteropposing the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated draft risk calculation for formaldehyde under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Formaldehyde is a carcinogenic gas used in adhesives and coatings found in consumer products from cosmetics to flooring materials. In the letter, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that EPA’s updated calculation underestimates the risks of formaldehyde exposure, and, if adopted, would undermine past EPA assessments of the chemical and could lead to the development of less protective TSCA regulations.

“The EPA has chosen to recklessly ignore decades of evidence-based research, abandoning the best available science in favor of calculations that are neither credible nor defensible,”  said Attorney General Bonta. “The federal government’s updated draft risk calculation could endanger workers and consumers by resulting in weaker regulations that expose them to preventable cancer risks. California will not stand for decisions that affect the well-being and health of Americans and strongly urges EPA to withdraw this draft calculation immediately.”

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas widely used in adhesives to make building materials, household products, and personal care items. EPA estimates that between 1 and 5 billion pounds of formaldehyde are manufactured in or imported into the United States every year. Reputable scientific authorities, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. National Toxicology Program, have determined that exposure to formaldehyde can cause cancer, including leukemia and cancer of the nose, throat, and sinuses. According to EPA’s 2020 Air Toxics Screening Assessment, formaldehyde poses a far greater cancer risk than any other toxic air pollutant. Formaldehyde is also classified as a genotoxin carcinogen, meaning it can alter genes.

In 2019, the EPA designated formaldehyde as “High- Priority Substance” for risk evaluation under TSCA. The EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) provides the scientific foundation for protecting public health by assessing chemical toxicity and health risks from exposure. In August 2024, IRIS released its Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde for Inhalation which was 926-pages and 35 years in the making. The assessment concluded that formaldehyde is carcinogenic to humans by inhalation and that children are particularly vulnerable to respiratory harm. Despite these findings, the EPA is now proposing a draft calculation that discounts the risk that formaldehyde poses through chronic exposures.

California has long recognized the need for strong protections against formaldehyde exposure. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) sets worker exposure limits and mandates training and protective gear for workers exposed to formaldehyde. The California Air Resources Board listed formaldehyde as a toxic air contaminant in 1992 and enforces emissions standards for treated wood products. The California Department of Public Health prohibits the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has listed formaldehyde as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 since the 1980s. In addition, under the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (AB 2762), California has banned the sale of cosmetics and personal care products containing formaldehyde and its derivatives statewide as of January 1, 2025.  

The coalition faults EPA’s updated risk calculation for:

• Being less health protective than the existing risk calculation by excluding exposures that are low enough not to irritate the senses but that over time could still cause health effects.
• Failing to use the best available science, as required by TSCA.
• Failing to subject the assumptions underlying the drafted updated calculation to peer review.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting the health of Californians from toxic chemicals. In December 2025, Attorney General Bonta joined a multistate comment letter opposing EPA’s proposal to weaken reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” which would prevent EPA from collecting critical information about PFAS compounds. Additionally, in April 2025, Attorney General Bonta joined a multistate comment letter to Congress in support of IRIS.