Measurements of formaldehyde exposure at workplaces in the health services

Looking for effective disinfection germicides as protection against danger of infection, hygiene experts often come back to well-proved agents. Formaldehyde belongs to these agents, used in hospitals and doctors' practices, among others for disinfection of surfaces, instruments and endoscopes. In pathologies formaldehyde is used for hardening and preservation of tissue specimens. Because of the common use of formaldehyde and other aldehydes in the health services and the related high relevance for the occupational hygiene the institution for statutotory accident insurance and prevention in the health and wet re services (Berufsgenossenschaft fur Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege, BGW), besides other occupational institutions, has exemplary analysed many of these workplaces. The following article presents the analyses' results and the evaluation with cansideration to the existing German limit value of 0, 62 mg/m(3) for formaldehyde and the possible change of the limit value.