An exploration of hazardous effects of formaldehyde fumes on medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Formaldehyde is a naturally-occurring organic compound with the formula CH2O. The anatomists, technicians in biological science laboratories, and medical school students in dissection hall are regularly exposed to formaldehyde. My present study is investigates the relation between exposure to formaldehyde and acute changes in respiratory functions and non respiratory functions of 1st year MBBS students. Material and Methods: The study was carried out on 150 1st year medical students at L N Medical College and Research centre, Bhopal. A pre-validated questionnaire was used to evaluate the opinion of the students of the 1st year. Result: The observations of this study are tabulated in the tables 1& 2. Maximum number of students was positive response among symptoms described. Conclusion: Instead of formaldehyde, using of Glutaraldehyde is a feasible alternative chemical for fixation. The concentration of formalin and duration of time should be reduced.