Quote:
Originally Posted by S-Lee 
Polyoxymethylene (POM) is not a byproduct of Formaldehyde. Formadelhyde is found in trace amounts in POM, but is only released at very high temperatures (+425 degrees) well above anything ever experienced in canning. In fact its release is well above the melting point of the plastic which is 329 degrees.
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Anhydrous formaldehyde must be generated to make POM (
source), and POM is based on the polymerization of formaldehyde. Perhaps "byproduct" is not the correct technical word, but in lay terms, I think it gets the point across.
In a
study testing POM orthodontic brackets, it was found that:
Quote:
| POM brackets produce toxic formaldehyde gas whether heated or mechanically abraded. Patients who wear these brackets are being exposed to, at the very least, a potential irritant. |
You will also notice on the first link it states, "According to the material safety data sheet from DuPont, the material has a slight odor of formaldehyde." (DuPont's brand name for POM is Delrin.)
Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen. I don't want to risk it using it and heating it over and over again, seeing that there is plenty of data out there that calls it's safety into question.