Formalin Hazards and Health Insurance Coverage Needs among Exposed Personnel

Abstract

Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas often found in aqueous (water based) solutions and commonly used as a preservative in medical laboratories and mortuaries or an industrial fungicide, germicide and disinfectant. The WHO in its 2019 health report has classified Formalin as a potential carcinogen and an occupational hazard. The more concentrated overexposure is paradoxically related to the medical and lab technology field. Its use has been eliminated in most high-income country facilities owing to the well-known teratogenic effects; however, in facilities of many middle- and low-income countries, it is still used freely. The safety protocols requiring regular monitoring of formalin air level concentrations under permissible levels are often ignored; owing to logistics, staff crisis, lack of obserwership by management and key stake holders, lack of awareness or sometimes, plain carelessness and underestimation of immediate risks. Short term symptoms of exposure are mainly respiratory, nasopharyngeal, ocular and/or dermal irritation. But the long term more grave effects include permanent metaplastic changes majorly in nasopharynx, oropharynx leading to nasal or lung cancers. While health care is entering the era of big data, insurance companies still remain in the dark when it comes to Formaldehyde perils. This is alarming and calls for not only developing safe working protocols but also increased awareness of the need for “safety coverage umbrellas” under health insurance schemes (considering Formalin being a potential occupational hazard that can hamper not only the life quality of the exposed health care / medical lab personnel; but also lead to significant morbidity and death). This paper elucidates the gravity of formalin usage, need for awareness about its associated risks, safety protocols and health insurance coverage for personnel exposed to such occupational hazards.