Assessment of exfoliated nasal mucosa cells among morticians exposed to formaldehyde in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Exfoliated nasal mucosa cells were studied among morticians exposed to formaldehyde in Benin City, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: 50 subjects were divided into five groups A,B,C,D and E according to their duration (in years) of exposure with 10 subjects in each group. Group A served as control with nil exposure while groups B,C,D and E served as the test groups with 0-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-20 years, and > 20years exposures respectively. Anthropometric parameters of subjects were measured and cytology of exfoliated nasal epithelia cells was done. Statistical analysis was done using GraphPad prism version 5.0 and p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Results showed infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells and progressive increase in nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio (N-C ratio) with exposure duration. Conclusion: It was therefore concluded that exposure to formaldehyde for a prolonged period could have cytotoxic effect on the respiratory tract among morticians.