Formaldehyde concentrations in the breathing zone of medical students during gross anatomy laboratory in Toho University

Cadavers for gross anatomy laboratories are conventionally embalmed by formaldehyde (FA) solution in most medical schools. Thus, medical students and instructors are exposed to FA vapors emitted from cadavers during dissection. As a basic survey for the improvement of the dissection environment, we examined FA concentration in the gross anatomy laboratory during the 2006 academic year at the Faculty of Medicine of Toho University. Air samples were taken from 20 cm above a cadaver as breathing zone, and above a desk between cadavers as indoor FA concentration. FA concentrations in the breathing zone were ranged from 0.24 to 3.04 (mean 1.71) ppm during systematic anatomy, and from 0.72 to 1.60 (mean 1.16) ppm during neuroanatomy, and indoor FA concentration ranged from 048 to 1.11 (mean 0.76) ppm and from 0.21 to 0.23 (mean 0.22) ppm, respectively. These results showed that medical students and instructors are exposed to higher concentrations of FA than allowed by the guidelines of the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and suggested the need to reduce FA levels in the gross anatomy laboratory.