[Biomonitoring of formaldehyde in the urinary samples from the pediatric population in the Irkutsk Region].

Formaldehyde is one of the major pollutants of both ambient and indoors air. Thus, by comparing the concentrations of formaldehyde in ambient air (on study days) and in the air of classes and living rooms, the study has demonstrated that they may be 13.5 and 10.5 times greater than the normal values in the classes and living rooms, respectively. Biomonitoring of formaldehyde in the urinary samples from the pediatric population of the Irkutsk Region as an indicator of its chemical action has revealed the higher average group concentration of the substance in the urinary samples from urban children than that in rural ones (235 children from 6 inhabited localities). A significant correlation has been also found between the levels of formaldehyde in the urine of children (aged 5-10 years) and its concentration in the air of living rooms in the town of Shelekhov.