Toxic effects of formalin on the medical students of South Valley University following repeated exposure at the anatomy laboratories

Abstract

Formalin is widely used in the anatomy dissecting rooms to preserve the animal cadavers and biological specimens in veterinary medical schools. Veterinary medical students at South Valley University are routinely exposed to formalin during their practical training. Although formalin is known to cause severe health problems, the toxic effects of formalin on the veterinary students at South Valley University has not been investigated before. Thus, the current study aimed to explore the toxic effects of exposure of veterinary medical students to formalin in the anatomy laboratories and to suggest some preventive measures to reduce its toxic effects. For this purpose, a total number of 167 students from the first- and the second-year at the department of anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University were surveyed. Approximately 79.6% of the students suffered from unpleasant smell, followed by eye irritation (63.6%), nasal irritation (51.5%), headache (44.9%), breathing difficulties (39.5), visual disturbance (29.5), lack of concentration (26.9%), cough (25.1%), lethargy and fatigue (19.2%), nausea (18%), digestive disturbance (14.4%), sore throat and dryness (12%), sleep disturbance (4.8%) and fainting (6%). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the Veterinary Medical students are at risk of severe health problems due to prolonged exposure to formalin in the anatomy dissecting rooms. This calls The South Valley University authorities to apply a guideline to reduce the effect of exposure to formaldehyde in the anatomy laboratories.