[6] An example of the use of azodicarbonamide as a blowing agent is found in the manufacture of vinyl (PVC) and EVA-PE foams, where it forms bubbles upon breaking down into gas at high temperature.

[10] In a 1999 report, the World Health Organization has linked exposure to azodicarbonamide at workplaces where it is manufactured or handled in raw form to "respiratory issues, allergies and asthma".

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitizer (a possible cause of asthma) in workplace settings and determined that containers of it should be labeled with "May cause sensitisation by inhalation.

"[12] Azodicarbonamide was added to the REACH Regulation candidate Substances of Very High Concern list in 2012, for its respiratory sensitizing properties.

[16] In the United States, azodicarbonamide has a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status and is allowed to be added to flour at levels up to 45 ppm.

[16] The EU banned ADA in food containers despite an EFSA report considering such exposure "not a concern" due to low levels produced.

[8] As of February 2021, in contrast to direct competitors like Wendy's that have phased out the ingredient, A&W continues to use azodicarbonamide in an unspecified quantity ("under 2 %") in their standard hamburger buns.