We are delighted to share that our webinar examining the occupational risks of formaldehyde exposure in healthcare, hosted by the European Biosafety Network, had over 100 attendees across a range of professions.
Attendees heard from Dr Acran Selman Navarro, Chair of the ICOH Scientific Committee on Occupational Health for Health Workers and Josh Cobb, Secretary of the European Biosafety Network.
Dr Acran Selman Navarro examined the health effects associated with formaldehyde exposure, drawing on international occupational health evidence, and set out what rigorous exposure controls look like in practice. He discussed how organisations can strengthen staff training and establish continuous monitoring programmes to ensure controls remain effective over time, rather than relying on point-in-time compliance checks.
Josh Cobb explored why formaldehyde exposure in laboratories and operating theatres can reach concentrations far exceeding safe levels, and set out the legal case for change: the updated Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (2022) and COSHH Regulations now require employers to eliminate exposure at source, not simply manage it. He made the case that closed-system specimen containers are the proven solution that meets this legal standard, moving formaldehyde control from the bottom of the hierarchy of controls (PPE) to the top (elimination).
Both speakers agreed that while formaldehyde will remain essential to diagnostic pathology for the foreseeable future, the tools and legal framework now exist to eliminate unnecessary exposure for the healthcare workers who handle it every day.
We want to thank both speakers and attendees for their engaging presentations and subsequent discussions.
If you were unable to attend, the full recording can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/Tb61AA0404Y?si=bQEKFZv4gyMKTh3p
