Formaldehyde exposure in a gross anatomy laboratory

A gross anatomy laboratory for medical students was evaluated for formaldehyde levels throughout its eight-week term. Results indicated that exposures for students and instructors were below the 3-ppm permissible exposure limit (assuming a maximum of five hours of daily exposure) established by the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of occupational medicine Vol. 27; no. 11; p. 813
Main Authors Perkins, J L, Kimbrough, J D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.1985
Subjects
Anatomy
Formaldehyde
Humans
Laboratories
Maximum Allowable Concentration
Occupational Diseases - chemically induced
Risk
Students, Medical
United States
United States
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Summary:A gross anatomy laboratory for medical students was evaluated for formaldehyde levels throughout its eight-week term. Results indicated that exposures for students and instructors were below the 3-ppm permissible exposure limit (assuming a maximum of five hours of daily exposure) established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, about one third of the eight-hour time-weighted-average exposures were greater than 1 ppm under the same assumptions. Exposure levels for students and instructors did not differ. Exposures tended to decrease over the term unless internal cadaver cavities were being dissected. These exposures are significant in light of the recent implication of formaldehyde as an animal carcinogen and the trend to reduce permissible levels to 1 ppm or lower.
ISSN:0096-1736
DOI:10.1097/00043764-198511000-00013