Personal formaldehyde exposure level in the gross anatomy dissecting room at College of Medicine King Saud University Riyadh.

INTRODUCTION This study was conducted to correlate the personal formaldehyde (FA) exposure levels of instructors and students with the indoor FA concentrations in gross anatomy laboratory at King Saud University. The personal FA levels of instructors and students are higher than the indoor FA concentration in the gross anatomy laboratory. MATERIALS AND METHODS The gross anatomy laboratory at college of medicine, King Saud University Riyadh, was observed for indoor FA concentration and the personal exposure levels of instructors and the medical students during the 4th, 10th and 14th weeks of the dissection sessions. All air samples were collected by the diffusive sampling device and analyzed by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS The personal exposure level of FA was higher than the indoor concentration, and the personal exposure levels of instructors were higher than that of the students. The concentration of FA was also higher in the center of the room than the corners and near the doors. CONCLUSION Both the indoor FA concentrations and personal FA exposure levels are higher near the dissecting table than at locations away from it during the gross anatomy laboratory sessions. Thus, the instructors and students are exposed to the higher concentration of FA than the general population.