Careggi University Hospital, Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology Laboratory, Florence, Italy.
University of Florence, Department of Health Sciences, Section of Pathology, Florence, Italy.
Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2020 Oct 6;71(3):178-189. doi: 10.2478/aiht-2020-71-3406. Print 2020 Sep 1.
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. The aim of this study was to analyse twenty years (1999-2019) of experience in automatic, continuous airborne FA monitoring in the Pathology Laboratory and operating rooms at the Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy. These 20 years saw gradual improvements in FA monitoring of exposed employees considered at maximum risk, including improvements in analytical methods of detection and sampling strategies, which came with changes in procedures and workflow operations. In 2019, after the adoption of safe practices, including a closed-circuit system using pre-loaded containers and a vacuum sealing, 94 % of the total measurements (FA concentrations) were lower than 16 μg/m3, and only 6 % ranged from 21 to 75 μg/m3. In the studied work units, the ratio between area and personal readings ranged from 0.9 to 1.0, both for long and short-term sampling. Personal sampling was simplified with a new workstation, which integrated different monitoring systems into an innovative ergonomic armchair equipped with personal sampling devices. Area monitoring was also improved with a real-time, continuous photoacoustic instrument. Over these 20 years, FA exposure significantly dropped, which coincided with optimised histology workflow and implementation of safety practices. For high-throughput screening and cost savings we propose an innovative ergonomic armchair station which allows remote continuous monitoring.
在过去的二十年中，由于限制和参考值的变化、致癌性的定义以及新的监测方法，评估医疗环境中空气中甲醛（FA）暴露情况至关重要。本研究的目的是分析意大利佛罗伦萨 Careggi 大学医院病理学实验室和手术室自动连续空气 FA 监测二十年（1999-2019 年）的经验。这 20 年来，对处于最大风险的暴露员工的 FA 监测逐渐得到改善，包括改进了检测分析方法和采样策略，同时也改变了程序和工作流程操作。2019 年，在采用安全措施后，包括使用预加载容器和真空密封的闭路系统，总测量值（FA 浓度）的 94%低于 16μg/m3，只有 6%在 21 至 75μg/m3 之间。在所研究的工作单元中，无论是长期还是短期采样，区域读数和个人读数之间的比值在 0.9 到 1.0 之间。个人采样通过新工作站得到简化，该工作站将不同的监测系统集成到一个配备个人采样设备的创新人体工程学椅子中。区域监测也通过实时连续光声仪器得到了改善。在过去的二十年中，FA 暴露量显著下降，这与优化的组织学工作流程和安全措施的实施相一致。为了实现高通量筛选和节省成本，我们提出了一种创新的人体工程学椅子工作站，允许远程连续监测。
