Effect of exposure to formaldehyde on the skin of first-year medical students during Anatomy dissection: A longitudinal study

Exposure to formaldehyde is one of the various occupational hazards experienced by a doctor. It is used in its aqueous form, formalin for embalming cadavers which are used for teaching gross anatomy by dissection. Therefore, medical students in their first year routinely handle the cadaver and dermal contact is thus a significant and consistent portal of exposure to formaldehyde. The toxic and allergic potential of formaldehyde is well documented in research literature. The present study was intended to assess the various dermatological manifestations of this exposure and provide a possible understanding of the mechanism behind it by estimation of eosinophil count. Descriptive statistics, Friedman’s Test and paired-t test were used for statistical analysis. A p-value Keywords: Formaldehyde, Medical students, Dermal symptoms, Skin reactions.