Given below are two statements: Statement I: Concentration of Formaldehyde in…
2023
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Concentration of Formaldehyde in indoor environment can be thousand times higher than outdoor environment.
Statement II: Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer: A. Both Statement I and Statement II are true — ConceptIndoor air quality is governed by source strength, room volume, ventilation, and removal. Pollutants released from building materials and consumer…
- A.
Both Statement I and Statement II are true
- B.
Both Statement I and Statement II are false
- C.
Statement I is true but Statement II is false
- D.
Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
Indoor air quality is governed by source strength, room volume, ventilation, and removal. Pollutants released from building materials and consumer products can accumulate indoors far above outdoor background levels.
Carcinogenicity is a hazard classification based on evidence that an agent can cause cancer. It is independent of how common a particular exposure concentration is.
Application
Formaldehyde is emitted by pressed-wood products, adhesives, furnishings, tobacco smoke, and fuel-burning appliances. EPA evidence reports outdoor formaldehyde concentrations as low as 0.002 ppm and indoor concentrations as high as 4 ppm. The ratio 4 ÷ 0.002 = 2,000 shows that a thousandfold difference is possible; Statement I uses ‘can be’ rather than describing a typical average.
The National Toxicology Program identifies formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as carcinogenic to humans. This supports Statement II.
Contrast
‘Both false’ conflicts with the indoor-source evidence and the formal carcinogenicity classification.
‘Statement I true, Statement II false’ ignores the established carcinogenicity classification.
‘Statement I false, Statement II true’ treats typical concentration ratios as if they ruled out the high-end possibility expressed by ‘can be’.
Cross-check
The official UGC NET June 2023 final key for Question ID 908537 identifies ‘Both Statement I and Statement II are true’. This agrees with the independent environmental-health evidence.
Therefore, both Statement I and Statement II are true.