A Comprehensive Review of Formaldehyde Exposure Hazards in Gross Anatomy Laboratories

Authors

  • Nisreen A. Rajeh Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64252/c1v4h494

Keywords:

Formaldehyde exposure, Gross anatomy labs, Occupational safety, Ventilation control, Toxicological risk

Abstract

Formaldehyde, an important agent in preserving cadavers in gross anatomy labs, is currently used in large quantities in institutions of higher learning and is a major occupational safety risk to students, instructors, and technical staff. Despite numerous studies having considered the impact of formaldehyde exposure and the associated health conditions, none of the studies have carried out systematic reviews of the literature to comprehensively understand the scope of evidence in terms of institutional activities, regulatory observance, the health implications, and mitigation measures thereof. The current review is a summary of the knowledge of occupational health, toxicology, engineering of ventilation, and medical training, and a detailed review of the risks of exposure to formaldehyde in academic dissection laboratories. The literature shows repeated patterns of the level of exposure, acute and chronic health outcomes, and significant gaps in the implementation of safety over more than two decades. Comparisons between international regulatory norms and empirical compliance rates show that they do not match recommended and actual safety measures, and comparisons of the conventional methods of exposure control with the emergent ones, such as chemical alternatives and mechanical-ventilation innovations, show that those remain uneven in their efficiency. In combination, these results highlight the immediate need to ensure the standardization of safety guidelines and policy change, especially in under-resourced academic environments. Besides providing the synthesis of over-dispersed evidence, the review is also a source of original information on future studies and institutional investigations, as well as a potential course of altering the curriculum in the medical and anatomical sciences.

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Published

2025-07-02

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

A Comprehensive Review of Formaldehyde Exposure Hazards in Gross Anatomy Laboratories. (2025). International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 1670-1681. https://doi.org/10.64252/c1v4h494