Occupational exposure to formaldehyde in an institute of morphology in Brazil: a comparison of area and personal sampling

Abstract

Background, aims, and scope

Formaldehyde (FA) is a harmful chemical, which is classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Solutions of FA that are used to preserve cadavers in research and education morphological institutes represent a risk to occupational health of professionals and students. During the dissection of cadavers in the anatomy laboratories, FA vapors are emitted, resulting in the exposure of students and their instructors to elevated levels of FA. The World Health Organization recommends an air quality guideline value of 0.1 mg m⁻³ for exposure to FA. The limit of occupational exposure adopted by the Brazilian legislation (2.3 mg m⁻³) is markedly higher than those adopted by institutions of other countries around the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of personal exposure and the area concentration of FA in the morphology department of the Federal Fluminense University, Brazil, and investigate and compare the relationship between them.

Methods

Four rooms distributed in the three floors of the Morphology Department were evaluated: the embalming laboratory, the anatomy laboratories, the corridor of the teachers’ rooms, and the entrance hall. Thirty-six samples in total were collected in the second semester of 2010 and first semester of 2011. The air sampling and FA analysis were performed according to the EPA TO-11A Protocol, using a diffusive sampling device for carbonyl compounds. Personal samples were collected from monitors using a sampling device pinned on each person’s lapel. The samples were analyzed using rapid resolution liquid chromatography with UV-DAD detection at 360 nm.

Results and discussion

The concentrations of FA ranged from 0.20 and 0.18 mg m⁻³ in the corridor between the teachers’ rooms, 0.03 to 0.37 mg m⁻³ in the entrance hall, 0.22 to 2.07 mg m⁻³ in the anatomy laboratory, 2.21 to 2.52 mg m⁻³, in the embalming room. The levels found in the corridor between the teachers’ rooms and in the entrance hall were lower than in other compartments because of their large distances to the sources of FA and better ventilation. The other rooms presented higher levels of FA because of the activities carried there (embalming and dissection procedures). Even in the rooms that showed the lowest levels of FA, the values found were higher than those established by all international guideline limits, except the Brazilian legislation limit, although, the concentration level in the embalming room was even greater than the Brazilian guideline. These concentrations are 100–1,000-fold higher than those reported in an FA outdoor study. The exposure levels of monitors and students ranged from 1.89 to 4.82 mg m⁻³, indicating that current practices at the Morphology Department at the university would represent a health risk. The simultaneous monitoring of area concentrations and personal exposure showed that the characteristics of classes and of cadavers’ parts, the number of students in the room and even the activities of the monitors influence the FA concentrations.

Conclusion

This study revealed that the concentration of FA was low in the ventilated areas of the Morphology Department, and that the personal exposure when the person was close to the cadavers during the dissection procedure was higher than the mean FA concentration. This should be considered in the risk assessment of FA during these activities without effective protection equipment. It is suggested that the Brazilian legislation of exposure to formaldehyde requires an urgent update considering international legislation.