The potential carcinogenicity of formaldehyde (FA) has prompted increasing preventive measures in anatomic pathology laboratories and new strategies aimed at innovating airborne FA monitoring systems.
The last two decades have been crucial for the assessment of airborne formaldehyde (FA) exposure in healthcare environments due to changes in limits and reference values, definition of carcinogenicity, and new monitoring methods.
Dugheri et al. analyzed twenty years of experience in automatic, continuous airborne FA monitoring in the Pathology Laboratory and operating rooms. GASERA ONE was used as a real-time, continuous photoacoustic instrument to measure formaldehyde.
The researcher found a significant decrease in formaldehyde exposure over a 20 year period, FA exposure significantly dropped, which coincided with optimised histology workflow and implementation of safety practices.
The researchers also found that “Gasera One Formaldehyde, with a dynamic range 100,000 times above FA detection limit, is a valid alternative. Besides, it is highly selective against carbonyl compounds and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), while its response time and detection limits are lower by one order of magnitude compared to Formaldemeter htV-M.”
This study demonstrates the applicability of the GASERA ONE FORMADHYDE as a continuous monitoring tool in occupational health and safety. Read more: https://gasera.fi/product/gasera-one-formaldehyde-photoacoustic-gas-monitor
Original article:
Improvements in monitoring and safety practices lowered airborne formaldehyde concentrations at an Italian hospital
Stefano Dugheri, Daniela Massi, Nicola Mucci, Ncola Berti, Giovanni Cappelli, and Giulio Arcangeli
Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2020;71:178-189
