Controversy Among the Use of Formaldehyde on Cadavers
- Praveena Mahendran
- Nov 26, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2022
Controversy in the medical world is an ever constant thing, and is often ignored as there seems to be a new debate everyday. At this point its hard to believe everything that's being said, however amidst the chaos, there a select few where the answer seems almost irrefutable. Let's take a look at one such controversy.
Formaldehyde, sounds deadly itself... and it sure is. Formaldehyde is a nearly colorless poisonous chemical that produces an irritating smell even at very small concentrations. It's vapors, both flammable and explosive, are easily absorbed through our lungs, and can hold many implications for someone exposed to it, building up over time. It's also the same chemical that's used to embalm (preserve) cadavers for storage [reference Medical institutions are cutting back on cadavers, but why? to learn about cadavers]. By using formaldehyde, preclinical medical students, and their instructors, who work with cadavers frequently, are put at extremely high risk of developing various acute adverse symptoms from inhaling the chemical. It’s almost a guarantee that they will experience some form of discomfort or side-effect from being around the bodies for even a short duration of time.
A study conducted in 2020 at the dissection hall at Wollo University (Northeast Ethiopia), aims to prove the dangers students and teachers face while working with formaldehyde-treated cadavers. The study was carried out over the course of a month, where participants were exposed to formaldehyde vapors during the dissections taking place in the dissection halls. Out of the 84 students and staff that took part in the study, 64 admitted to smelling an unpleasant odor coming from the chemical, 39 mentioned they felt tired or dizzy, and 35 said they had watery eyes. In total 27 participants also claimed to have a runny nose with a tingling sensation, which often was followed by a lack of concentration and/or headache. While these symptoms can have a short-term effect on the learning of the students, as well as the ability for the professors to teach, greater risks are almost guaranteed when looking at the long-term health effects caused by constant inhalation of formaldehyde.
It's still up to much debate on why this seemingly harmful chemical is still used on cadavers, since it provokes such a negative reaction from the medical community. Outside of the mentioned side effects of formaldehyde exposure, there is new information that backs up the link between exposure and cancer, only further raising questions about it's continued use. However despite all of this, it seems like it's here to stay for good.
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