Effect of formaldehyde exposure on some cardiovascular indices among morticians in Benin City Nigeria

Introduction: The effect of formaldehyde exposure on some indices of cardiovascular function among morticians in Benin City was studied. Materials and Methods: Fifty subjects were recruited for the study which included 10 nonmorticians and 40 morticians. Subjects were divided into five groups A, B, C, D, and E according to their duration (in years) of exposure to formaldehyde with ten subjects in each group. Group A served as the control (nonmorticians), whereas Groups B, C, D, and E served as the test groups with 0–5 years, 6–10 years, 11–20 years, and >20 years exposures, respectively. Anthropometric parameters were measured as well as some cardiovascular indices which include pulse rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Statistical analysis was done using GraphPad Prism version 5.0. Results were presented as mean ± standard error of the mean analysis of variance was used to compare the means of test and control values, whereas post hoc test was done using Student‒Newman‒Keuls test and a P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Results showed significant increases in SBP, DBP, and MAP among Group E morticians. Conclusion: It was therefore concluded that prolonged exposure to formaldehyde could affect the cardiovascular health of morticians.