ST. LOUIS — An "ever-present danger" causes far more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant in society. The chemical is so pervasive in St. Louis that the city has 21 of the 23 most at-risk ZIP codes in the entire state.
The pollutant, called formaldehyde, also causes numerous other health issues, according to a recently published analysis from ProPublica. Problems include asthma in both children and adults; other respiratory ailments, including reduced lung function; and reproductive harms, such as miscarriages and fertility problems.
Formaldehyde is used by companies for everything from making furniture to sterilizing food.
"It is virtually everywhere," the analysis said. "As the backbone of American commerce, formaldehyde is a workhorse in major sectors of the economy, preserving bodies in funeral homes, binding particleboards in furniture and serving as a building block in plastic. The risk isn’t just to the workers using it; formaldehyde threatens everyone as it pollutes the air we all breathe and leaks from products long after they enter our homes."
The analysis broke down the most at-risk ZIP codes for formaldehyde cancer in each state, including Missouri. Below are the most at-risk communities in the state. Click on each for more in-depth data:
- Jefferson City, Missouri, 65101
- Richmond Heights, Missouri, 63117
- Clayton, Missouri, 63105
- Lindenwood Park, St. Louis, Missouri, 63139
- Ellendale, St. Louis, Missouri, 63143
- Washington Ave. Loft District, St. Louis, Missouri, 63101
- Heart of the Westside, Springfield, Missouri, 65802
- Soulard, St. Louis, Missouri, 63104
- Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, 63102
- Columbus Square, St. Louis, Missouri, 63101
- Bridgeton, Missouri, 63044
- Peabody Darst Webbe, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103
- Saint Ann, Missouri, 63074
- Pagedale, St. Louis, Missouri, 63133
- Brentwood, Missouri, 63144
- University City, Missouri, 63124
- University City, Missouri, 63132
- Woodson Terrace, St. Louis, Missouri, 63134
- University City, Missouri, 63130
- St. John, St. Louis, Missouri, 63114
- Bel-Ridge, St. Louis, Missouri, 63121
- Sappington, St. Louis, Missouri, 63128
- Webster Groves, Missouri, 63119
"The public health risks from formaldehyde are greater and more prevalent than widely understood — and any hope of fully addressing them may well be doomed, at least for the foreseeable future," the analysis said.
