# Formaldehyde — OSHA medical surveillance trigger thresholds by substance

For Formaldehyde, cfr section is 1910.1048; action level is 0.5 part formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.5 ppm) calculated as an eight (8)-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration; pel is 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA; 2 ppm STEL; surveillance trigger is all employees exposed to formaldehyde at concentrations at or exceeding the action level or exceeding the STEL; exam frequency is prior to assignment to a job where formaldehyde exposure is at or above the action level or above the STEL and annually thereafter, recorded from its source on 2026-08-12.

- **Substance:** Formaldehyde _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR section:** 1910.1048 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Action level:** 0.5 part formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.5 ppm) calculated as an eight (8)-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration
- **PEL:** 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour TWA; 2 ppm STEL
- **Surveillance trigger:** all employees exposed to formaldehyde at concentrations at or exceeding the action level or exceeding the STEL _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Exam frequency:** prior to assignment to a job where formaldehyde exposure is at or above the action level or above the STEL and annually thereafter _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Record retention:** Exposure records and determinations: at least 30 years; Medical records: duration of employment plus 30 years

## What the source says

> <https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=d75fccdc8250228b94fecda509956f75&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:29:Subtitle:B:Chapter:XVII:Part:1910:1910.1048> Medical surveillance —(1) Employees covered . (i) The employer shall institute medical surveillance programs for all employees exposed to formaldehyde at concentrations at or exceeding the action level or exceeding the STEL . (ii) The employer shall make medical surveillance available for employees who develop signs and symptoms of overexposure to formaldehyde and for all employees exposed to formaldehyde in emergencies . When determining whether an employee may be experiencing signs and symptoms of possible overexposure to formaldehyde , the employer may rely on the evidence that signs and symptoms associated with formaldehyde exposure will occur only in exceptional circumstances when <https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=6ebae100a8ab33b94c99de81c9d6765e&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:29:Subtitle:B:Chapter:XVII:Part:1910:1910.1048> airborne exposure is less than 0.1 ppm and when formaldehyde is present in material in concentrations less than 0.1 percent. (2) Examination by a physician. All medical procedures, including administration of medical disease questionnaires, shall be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician and shall be provided without cost to the employee , without loss of pay, and at a reasonable time and place. (3) Medical disease questionnaire. The employer shall make the following medical surveillance available to employees prior to assignment to a job where formaldehyde exposure is at or above the action level or above the STEL and annually thereafter.

## Source

- https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/1910.1048

Last verified: 2026-08-12. Review by: 2027-02-08.
Part of [OSHA medical surveillance trigger thresholds by substance](https://referencesource.org/osha-medical-surveillance-triggers/).