Formaldehyde exposure, acute pulmonary response, and exposure control options in a gross anatomy laboratory

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Abstract
Formaldehyde exposure, acute pulmonary response, and exposure control options were evaluated in a group of 34 workers in a gross anatomy laboratory. Time‐weighted average (TWA) exposure to formaldehyde ranged from 0.07–2.94 parts per million (ppm) during dissecting operations. More than 94% were exposed to formaldehyde in excess of the ceiling value of 0.3 ppm recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The eight‐hour TWA exposure of 31.7% of the subjects exceeded the action level of 0.5 ppm set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reported symptoms included irritation of eye (88%), nose (74%), throat (29%), and airways (21%). Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 3 seconds (FEV3) decreased, and FEV1/FVC increased during the exposure. The changes of FEV3 were statistically different from those of the controls. The results strongly support the necessity for designing and testing special local exhaust‐ventilated worktables with necessary flexibility for dissecting operations.