Background and Objective: Formaldehyde used in the pathology and histology laboratories as a tissue fixation. This compound classified in group A1 (human carcinogen) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The aim of this study was the evaluation of relationship between ambient air concentrations and personal exposure (TWA and ceiling) of formaldehyde in the pathology departments. Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical study was performed in the second half of year 1395 at four teaching hospitals in Hamadan university of Medical Sciences. For that purpose 17 environmental, 28 TWA samples (by a census method) and, 5 ceiling samples in the peak of pollution were collected simultaneously. The NIOSH 3500 method was used to sampling and analysis of air samples. Results: The mean ambient concentration of formaldehyde was 1.67±1.81 ppm. The mean personal exposure levels in both TWA and ceiling were obtained 0.31±0.40 ppm and 2.36±2.34 ppm respectively. TWA and ceiling levels were more than from NIOSH recommended exposure limits (REL) and Iran's national occupational exposure limit (OEL) respectively. In this study, there were a significant correlation between the personal concentrations with TWA (r= 0.82, P=0.0001) and ceiling exposure levels (r=0.47 , P=0.01). Conclusion: According to the exist challenges about the evaluation of occupational exposure to formaldehyde, this study emphasizes on the assessment of the health and carcinogenicity risks in the staffs exposed to formaldehyde in the pathology departments, in order to assurance effectiveness of control measures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.