Change in Indoor Formaldehyde Concentration and Prevalence of Subjective Symptoms in Medical Students Exposed to Formaldehyde during Gross Anatomy Dissection Classes, and Effectiveness of Exposure Prevention by Wearing Personal Protective Equipment

Abstract

In Japan, medical students are exposed to formaldehyde (FA) during gross anatomy dissection classes. Students complain various subjective symptoms such as mucous membrane irritation symptoms and unidentified complaints. We have taken ongoing measures to decrease FA exposure at our university. Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gas masks and safety glasses is effective in reducing exposure to FA, as shown by previous studies. This study evaluated correlation with FA concentration in an anatomy practical room and prevalence of 14 symptoms where students experienced during the anatomy practice. Furthermore, we evaluated the effectiveness of prevention by wearing PPE. We conducted brief questionnaire surveys after every practice with second-year students participating in an anatomy class in 2016, concerning 14 subjective symptoms, including eye, nose, and throat complaints, as well as unidentified complaints, and whether or not to wear PPE, their sleep duration of the previous night, the number of cigarettes smoked, and their physical condition during the day in question. And, we measured indoor levels of FA during every practice. Subjective symptoms were classified into four categories. Those answering “very severe” or “severe” were classified as having subjective symptoms. There were significant correlations between FA concentration in an anatomy practical room and prevalence of some symptoms where students experienced during anatomy practice. And we found a certain level of effectiveness of prevention by wearing PPE during the practice. We need to recommend to wearing PPE during the practice, especially at high level of indoor FA concentration.