National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Porto, Portugal.
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2011;74(15-16):1040-51. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2011.582293.
Formaldehyde (FA) is a world high-production compound with numerous applications ranging from production of resins to medicines. Due to its sensitizing properties, irritating effects and potential cancer hazard FA is of great environmental health concern. Numerous studies in humans and experimental animals demonstrated that inhaled FA produced toxicity, genotoxicity, and cancer at distal sites. IARC, based on sufficient data, reclassified FA as a human carcinogen. The highest level of human exposure to this aldehyde occurs in occupational settings, namely, in pathology and anatomy laboratories, where FA is commonly used as a fixative and tissue preservative. Several studies consistently showed that the levels of airborne FA in anatomy laboratories exceeded recommended exposure criteria. In order to assess the genotoxic effects of chronic occupational exposure to FA, a group of pathology/anatomy workers was assessed using a micronucleus (MN) test and comet assay. The level of exposure to FA was also determined and the time-weighted average (TWA) of exposure was calculated for each subject. The TWA mean value for FA exposed workers was 0.43 ± 0.06 ppm, exceeding national and international recommended limit levels of 0.3 ppm. Both MN frequency and comet assay parameters were significantly higher in exposed subjects. Data obtained confirm a correlation between genetic damage and occupational exposure to FA. These data, along with recent implications of human carcinogenicity, point out the need for close monitoring of occupational exposure to FA. Implementation of security and hygiene measures as well as good practices campaigns may be crucial to decrease risk.
甲醛（FA）是一种世界高产量的化合物，具有广泛的应用，从树脂生产到药品生产。由于其致敏性、刺激性和潜在的致癌危害，FA 对环境健康非常关注。许多人类和实验动物的研究表明，吸入 FA 会在远端部位产生毒性、遗传毒性和癌症。IARC 根据充分的数据，将 FA 重新分类为人类致癌物。人类接触这种醛的最高水平发生在职业环境中，即在病理学和解剖学实验室中，FA 通常用作固定剂和组织防腐剂。多项研究一致表明，解剖学实验室空气中 FA 的水平超过了推荐的暴露标准。为了评估慢性职业暴露于 FA 的遗传毒性影响，对一组病理学/解剖学工作者进行了微核（MN）试验和彗星试验评估。还确定了 FA 的暴露水平，并为每个对象计算了时间加权平均值（TWA）。暴露于 FA 的工人的 TWA 平均值为 0.43±0.06ppm，超过了国家和国际推荐的 0.3ppm 限值。暴露组的 MN 频率和彗星试验参数均显著升高。获得的数据证实了遗传损伤与 FA 职业暴露之间的相关性。这些数据，加上最近 FA 致癌性的影响，指出需要密切监测 FA 的职业暴露。实施安全和卫生措施以及良好实践运动可能对于降低风险至关重要。
