Open AccessPOTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARDS OF FORMALDEHYDE USAGE IN GROSS ANATOMY DISSECTION HALL ON STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS
Author(s) -
Prince Kapoor,
Pooja Sharma
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
era's journal of medical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2394-5222
pISSN - 2348-9839
DOI - 10.24041/ejmr2020.40
Subject(s) - gross anatomy , irritation , dissection (medical) , medicine , personal protective equipment , embalming , formaldehyde , surgery , medical education , pathology , anatomy , biology , covid-19 , biochemistry , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , immunology
Formaldehyde is the most frequently used chemical for embalming in dissection halls and tissue fixation in histopathological laboratories. Exposure to formalin by direct contact or in vapourised form by inhalation can produce various local and/or systemic toxic effects in students, instructors and staff working in dissection rooms. Its toxicity ranges from local irritation and allergic reactions to congenital defects and certain malignancies. This account highlights these adverse effects on medical students, demonstrators, and other staff handling the cadavers at the Anatomy department. It also suggests certain measures and precautions that can minimize formaldehyde toxicity to students and staff in gross anatomy laboratories.