Alfonso Meneses Monroy
Assistant Professor in the department of Nursing at the Complutense University of Madrid and Director of the CEST Research Group on Emotional Competence, Health, and Well-being in the Workplace
What do you think of the article overall?
“The article is good and presents a sound methodology; it is well-reasoned and the results are clear.”
How does it fit in with existing evidence, and what implications might it have? Could it also affect research staff or other professions?
“In fact, the dangers of formaldehyde have been known for a long time. What this article highlights is that there are workplaces where exposure is higher than it should be and that there are no adequate standardised protocols for measuring concentrations. Any profession or field in which formaldehyde is used could be exposed to high concentrations, posing a health risk.”
What is the situation in Spain?
“As far as I am aware, there are no data on formaldehyde exposure in Spain. I did a quick search on PubMed and found no articles referring to formaldehyde levels in the Spanish working population.”
Are there any significant limitations to bear in mind?
“The data is based on information provided by NHS hospitals; it would have been better if measurements could have been taken to ensure that they were all carried out in the same way. Even so, they provide a good approximation for assessing the problem.”