What are the health risks associated with long-term exposure to dimethylformamide (DMF) in occupational settings?

Dimethylformamide (DMF) is an excellent organic solvent widely used in various industries such as synthetic leather, petrochemicals, acrylic spinning, pharmaceuticals, dyestuffs, and electronics. Human exposure to DMF primarily occurs in occupational settings through inhalation and dermal contact. DMF air concentrations exceeding the national occupational exposure limit of 20 mg/m³ have been reported in certain industries. Long-term exposure to DMF is associated with significant health risks, particularly liver damage, which is one of the earliest and most concerning effects identified in both animal and human studies.

From: "Integrated internal and external exposure models for dimethylformamide risk assessment and health risk monetization", Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 291, February 2025, 117890

Long-term exposure to DMF in occupational settings can cause chronic health damage, including liver diseases such as hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Animal studies have also shown that DMF can cause hepatocellular adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma through inhalation exposure. The study conducted on-site concentration measurements and health effect analyses of 1040 DMF-exposed workers at 19 enterprises in Jiangsu Province, China, and found that workers in film stripping and inspection positions faced substantial health risks requiring special attention. The health risk was higher for men than for women. The study also defined liver injury weights and used probabilistic health risk assessment methods to quantify these risks.