Study On Toxicity Of Nervous System To Formaldehyde In Mice And Epidemiological Investigation Of Health Effect Among Occupational Exposure Staffs

Background/ObjectiveFormaldehyde is one of the major indoor air pollutant, except its effects on irritating to eyes respiratory tract, the effect of formaldehyde to central nervous system is getting more and more important. To study the effects of formaldehyde on learning and memory and its mechanism, our research focus on the effects of vitamin E and N-acetyl-cysteine antioxidants on mice's learning and memory ability impairment induced by formaldehyde.MethodsICR mice were divided into four groups: (1) control (NS, ip), (2) treated with FA (15 mg/kg, ip),(3) treated with FA (15 mg/kg, ip) and NAC(100 mg/kg, ip) (FA +NAC) group,(4) treated with FA (15 mg/kg, ip) andVitE (100 mg/kg, ig)(FA+VitE) group, intraperitoneal injection once per day for seven days. On the eighth day, the learning and memory ability of some mice using water labyrinth task for continuously seven days. Others were sacrificed 6 h after treatment. Brain was dissected for glutathione (GSH) measurement. Glutathione hormone(GSH) detection were used Griffith method.ResultsThe mice behavior of FA group excited firstly, and was transformed gradually into calmly, less moves and clustering, but this phenomenon was not observed in the others groups. There was no statistically significant difference of the growth of body weight among groups.Using the Repeated one way ANOVA, the learning time of escape latence in the FA groupwere significantly longer than that of the control group or the FA+NAC group or the FA+VitE group (P<0.01); the learning time of the wrong number in the FA+NAC groupand the FA+VitE group were significantly less than that of the FA group (P<0.05). The memory time of escape latence in the FA group were significantly longer than that of the control group or the FA+NAC group or the FA+VitE group(P<0.01), there is no statistically significant difference of the memory time of the wrong number among groups.The cerebral cortex levels of GSH in FA group were higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).ConclusionsFormaldehyde may damage the learning and memory capacity of mice, and antioxidant might be beneficial in preventing FA-induced the neurotoxicity. Background/ObjectiveFormaldehyde is used widely in the industry as a cross-linging agent in phenol-formaldehyde polymers varying from bakelite to the soft resin that binds fiberglass into batts; it is usd as raw material of the resin, the paint, the plastic, the synthetic fiber as well as each adhesive and so on. It was widely used to preserving, disinfecting, and embalming agent in the hospital and the research department. Beside its beneficial properties in eliminating hazards in histology, anatomy, and pathology, formaldehyde possesses the potential for deleterious effects on many organs systems. The synthesized plate is mainly sources of indoors air formaldehyde, which is made of the urea resin. This epidemiology study aimed to analysis the association between the formaldehyde and the furniture manufacturer worker's health situation, in orders to discuses the influence of formaldehyde on worker's health, appraising the toxicity of the formaldehyde and providing the scientific foundation of the protection to the worker health.MethodsThis study applied the cross-section study to analysis the effect of formaldehyde on the occupational people. We selected the workers of the furniture manufactory in Hefei, whose contacted formaldehyde in the process of production. According to the voluntary principle, we investigated the worker's health by questionnaire. The questionnaire contains general state,health situation,occupation exposure history and so on. The nerve behavior function test accord to the digital span and digit symbol test. This research is used to analysis the result of the worker's subjective symptom,digital span and the digital symbol test between two groups.ResultsThere was a significant difference between two groups in following symptom: headache,memory drop,inability to concentrate,weary feeling and spirit dispirited,asthenia,dry eye and watery eyes,dryness of the skin,skin easily split and so on. The results of the nerve behavior function test have statistics significance difference (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe formaldehyde can cause the changes of the nerve behavior and the mind state of the occupational formaldehyde exposed staffs. It also cause obvious skin mucous stimulation symptom.