Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen, doses of 14.96 ppm of formaldehyde in rats are capable of developing tumors in their biological structure. The concern with this aldehyde is due to the health problems that can be generated by it when exposed to humans and also to contribute to the degradation of marine fauna. In view of this, the aim of this project is to develop a prototype for detecting formaldehyde by reacting it with fluoral-p to form 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydrolutidine (DDL). The development of this work is based on the analysis of the fluorescence emission wavelength of the luminescent spectrum of the reaction between fluoral-p and formaldehyde present in seawater samples, and this fluorescent light emission is the indicator for the detection of this aldehyde.