The Irritating Effects Of Exposure To Formaldehyde In User Students Of The Human Anatomy Laboratory

Abstract

Formaldehyde (FA) is commonly used in cadaver fixation for years. FA vapors are released during the dissection process and macroscopic study of preserved anatomical pieces, raising their concentration in the Anatomy laboratory, causing greater exposure for students and teachers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate toxic reactions in 37 students, through a questionnaire, produced by exposure to FA used for preservation of cadaveric material used in Anatomy, Morphofunctional Department, Faculdades Integradas de Patos (FIP), Brazil. Of the 37 interviewees, 26 (70.3%) were affected by the unpleasant and irritating smell of FA, 10 (27%) had no problems, and 1 (2.7%) did not tolerate an irritation produced by FA, not participating in the laboratory practical classes. Exposure to FA was followed by several symptoms: excessive lacrimation (54%), itchy eyes (48.5%), redness of the eyes (40.6%), coryza or congested nose (35.2%) and respiratory distress (29.7%), with persistent symptoms during the permanence in the laboratory for 32.5% of the students. All students wear a lab coat for individual protection. However, only 8% used mascara and did not wear glasses, increasing the risk of contamination. Medical schools should encourage the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the manipulation of FA, ensuring the protection of students and teachers in the Anatomy laboratory. Besides finding alternatives for the replacement of FA in the conservation of corpses.

Indoor Formaldehyde Concentration, Personal Formaldehyde Exposure and Clinical Symptoms during Anatomy Dissection Sessions, University of Medicine 1, Yangon

“…Some individuals were highly sensitive to the FA while others were more resistant and had no reaction to the same level of exposure [ 40 ]. In our study, the most frequent complaint reported by the exposed students was the unpleasant smell (78.8%) ( Figure 9 ), and this occurrence is consistent with some previous studies which also reported this symptom as the most predominant one at 68% [ 21 ], 80% [ 41 ], 77% [ 42 ], 57.5% [ 35 ], 91.2% [ 43 ] and, 70.3% [ 44 ]. This common finding simply reflects that FA exposure is mainly by inhalation during the dissection sessions.…”

“…This finding is worth considering by the educational system because it can impair students’ learning progress [ 46 ]. In a study from Thailand, however, the most common clinical symptom was general fatigue (87.8%) [ 32 ], which was less frequently reported in other studies at 38.5% [ 36 ], 36% [ 21 ] and 21.8% [ 44 ], as well as 9.4% in our study.…”

Variações Anatômicas: o avanço da ciência no Brasil

“…Sua composição é de carbono carbonílico ligado a dois hidrogênios (-HCHO), gerados da oxidação do metanol (IARC, 2006). É, porém,um produto tóxico, com elevado potencial cancerígeno (OHMICHI et al, 2006), de modo particular para casos de contato diário por períodos prolongados e com frequência em sessões de dissecação e estudo macroscópico, como no caso de pesquisadores, docentes, e técnicos de laboratório ou manipuladores industriais (VIEIRA et al, 2013;NIELSON;WOLKOFF, 2010;MERK;SPEIT, 1998;ONYIJE;AVWIORO, 2012;DE LUCENA et al, 2017;DE PAULA et al, 2018;ONYEKA et al, 2018;YAGER et al, 1986) 2014).…”

Effects of Occupational Formaldehyde Exposure on Passive Avoidance Conditioning and Anxiety Levels in Wistar rats

“…The permissible occupational exposure limit for formaldehyde is 0.75 ppm, measured as an 8-h time-weighted average (OSHA, 2011). However, previous studies have shown the formaldehyde concentration varying between 0.75 and 4 ppm inside anatomy laboratories, embalming rooms, and personal sampling rooms (Albertini and Kaden, 2017;de Lucena et al, 2017). In industry, the concentration of formaldehyde exposure is reported between 0.04 and 3.48 ppm, with wood production workers, mortuary employees, and firefighters exposed to the highest concentrations (Dan et al, 2020).…”