Evaluation of Awareness, Performance and Side Effects of Formaldehyde Exposure

Formaldehyde is used in operating rooms to disinfect and sterilize surgical instruments. Inhalation of formaldehyde gas causes various respiratory complications in people. Awareness on the use of formaldehyde can prevent many complications. This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge and practice about formaldehyde exposure in the staff and students of the operating room and complications caused by this exposure in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 2019.

A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in 120 operating room staff and students. The participants completed a researcher made questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were previously confirmed. It included 6 items about demographic information, 9 on awareness, 13 about performance and 18 items about the complications of formaldehyde exposure. Awareness and practice were classified according to being good, moderate, and poor. Chi-square test was applied to analyze the data.

Correct answer to 4-6 questions about awareness showed moderate knowledge, so, 77.3% of the operating room staff and 73.3% of the students reported moderate awareness about formaldehyde exposure. The performance in 64% of the staff and 66.7% of the students was good. The most common complications in staff and students were headache (83.6%) and eye irritation (60.7%), respectively. The majority of the operating room staff (74.2%) and students (93%) had not studied any standards for formaldehyde exposure.

Occupational exposures to formaldehyde is associated with many health risks, so, hospitals and treatment centers are recommended to hold training courses to increase awareness and reduce the complications of formaldehyde exposure.