Formaldehyde is widely used by the poultry industry as a disinfectant on poultry farms, in brooder houses, hatcheries, and hatchery vehicles. It is highly effective in the reduction of contamination levels caused by bacteria, viruses, and molds throughout the production process.
Using formaldehyde as the primary disinfection agent will control key organisms, such as Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Proteus, E. coli, H. capsulatum, Staphylococcus, Streptococci, and Aspergillus.
Formaldehyde is an organic compound that can adopt several different forms. It can be used in solution form as formalin, as a free gas, or in a solid form as paraformaldehyde pills. Formaldehyde is highly toxic to humans, regardless of the method of intake. At room temperature it is a colorless gas characterized by a pungent odor. Even with very short-term exposure, formaldehyde will cause irritation to the eyes including pain, redness, blurred vision followed by sneezing, soreness, coughing, shortness of breath, headaches, and nausea. Exposure to elevated levels can lead to accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). A large exposure to formaldehyde is converted to formic acid in the body, leading to a rise in blood acidity, rapid-shallow breathing, hypothermia, and coma or death. Long-term exposure causes chronically impaired lung function, skin hardening, swelling and flaking, dermatitis, allergic eczema, and cancer. Formaldehyde is a skin and respiratory sensitizer. As a sensitizing agent, it can stimulate the body’s immune response so that a subsequent exposure to even a very small amount is likely to trigger an allergic reaction. For most people, irritation from formaldehyde is temporary and reversible. “Overexposure to airborne formaldehyde is dangerous to health, but the risks can be substantially reduced if levels are regularly measured and monitored,” states PPM Technology’s Managing Director, John B. Jones. PPM Technology, based in Caernarfon, Wales, UK, is a leading manufacturer of portable and fixed gas detection instruments for formaldehyde and other toxic gases in indoor environments.
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