Formalin as an Occupational Hazard to Health Care of the Workers in the Hatcheries of Rainbow Trout Farms of Chaharmahal-vaBakhtiari Province

Formalin is used as a therapeutic solution on the fish fertilized eggs in the hatchery of rainbow trout farms. In this research, the risk of current formalin use on the health of exposed workers in the hatcheries of rainbow trout farms of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari prov. (the south -west of Iran) was evaluated. This report focuses on three operation authorizations basis of 11 hatcheries consists of the workers’ total information about the formalin health hazards, the necessary considerations during accidental formalin leak or considerations of the occupational individual health preservations during formalin use, and so the provided and established instruments in the hatcheries to protect the workers and reduce accidental releases harms to public and the environment. The study relies that all the workers were improperly operated formalin not only with the unnecessary dosage but also with the unsuitable (no laboratory) equipments. There is only one case of applying suitable gloves (not latex gloves) and 33 % simple mask ventilation among the users as the simplest hazard protection approaches; however 100%, 70.8% and 91.7% of them have declared irritation of the nose and throat , coughing and temperate non-sense of the fingers, respectively. The personal knowledge about carcinogenetic, tissues fixative attributes of formalin, and its flammable-combustive characteristics were 16.7%, 62% and 33 %, respectively. None of 11 farms have provided equipments for 5 predicated accidents as first medical aids and rescue for fire (except for two fire suppression chamber).There is evidence of high risk of the formalin use about ecological, public and human health because of unsuitable management system of safety basis and environmental protection requirements in the rainbow trout farms.