NTP Adds Formaldehyde to "Known", Glass Wool FIbers and Styrene to "Reasonably Anticipated To Be" Lists of Human Carcinogens
Formaldehyde has been known to be a cause of nasopharnygeal cancer for a long time but the NTP's determination that it likely causes leukemia and other lymphohematopoetic cancers is a big deal. The inclusion of styrene on the list of things "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen"is the real shocker though. Back in the late 80s when the butadiene litigation was beginning to unfold there was considerable worry about whether the other big component of styrene-butadiene rubber might be a carcinogen. Numerous studies settled the question and the litigation never went anywhere (well, they sued the butadiene people instead of the styrene people). Expect styrene litigation.
Finally, the glass fiber determination brings with it a fair share of irony. For years asbestos plaintiff lawyers claimed that glass wool was a safe, non-carcinogenic substitute fiber (and I'd bet it is, actually). For more see: "12th Report on Carcinogens" or the report itself in .pdf.
