Formaldehyde Releasing Compounds

Abstract

Formaldehyde as such is often too volatile and too reactive to be used as a microbicide for the protection of materials or in disinfectants. It additionally produces unwelcome side-effects, and has an insufficient balanced range of activity. One therefore has looked for formaldehyde releasing compounds which do not exhibit the disadvantageous formaldehyde effects but maintain or even improve the antimicrobial action of formaldehyde.

Sources for toxicity data, if not otherwise indicated: Registry of toxic effects of chemical substances (1990). Department of Health and Human Services, Cincinnati, USA. Lexikon der Hilfsstoffe für Pharmazie, Kosmetik und angrenzende Gebiete (1989), Ed. H P. Fiedler, Editio Cantor, Aulendorf Germany. Product information and safety data sheets of microbicide suppliers. All indications are given in good faith and conscience. This also applies for the ’maximum working place concentrations’ (MWC), the ’acceptable daily intake’ (ADI) values and to the data with regard to ecotoxicity and biodegradability of microbicides which, as far as accessible, were also incorporated.

The erratum of this chapter is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2118-7_23/10.1007/978-94-011-2118-7_23