[LONG]

Dear Alejandro Martinez-Conde ,

Good afternoon, good evening.

it will depend on circumstances...(room or storage temperature, internal ventilation, air draught, agitation, locking /sealings of [plastic, glass...] of containers, etc.... perhaps some other additional parameters too.

Usually, measurement of evaporation rates is done by experts #),

in Austria (as to my knowledge) in Hospitals (public hospitals I had knowlegde, University Clinics I do not know how they perform correctly and practically execute existing legislation nowadays but know they were 'lazy' and often didn't adhere to the given rules - at least until the years 2000/2010! - ) and other public institutions there are so called Sicherheitsbeauftragte ('saftey officers') who are doing these measurements or are in charge of contracting such measurements to specialized companies.

#) Usually measurements are made and reported by e.g. AUVA (cf.: https://www.auva.at/cdscontent/?contentid=10007.791748&portal=auvaportal&viewmode=content ) , also by

https://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/inspektorat/Arbeitsstoffe/Grenzwerte/,

contact these institutions and meet their / your=the "labor safety inspector" or "labor regulations inspector" in your institution, as these institutional 'organs' [according to Arbeitsverfassungsgesetz (ArbVG)= Labor Relations Act] are entitled in Austria.

Evaporation rates are analyzed and are specified as "ppm"- concentration

(parts per million)

By the way: your sentence:

"....I refer 4% or 40% (even higher) [formaldehyde ] concentration.... "

for me means that you don't have any clue about the item you want to get data for ....[NB: 40% is a theoretical value of concentration of the GAS Formaldehyde as dissolvable in water....]

You might consult first (for a definition, what Formaldehyyde is and what the concentration(s) is / are we are dealing with....:

(esp. answer [003]) in:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Dear_Scholars_I_am_having_some_concerns_on_formaldehyde_evaporation_Can_you_please_suggest_how_to_prevent_formaldehyde_evaporation

(at least my reply was of help to an American colleaguie, Ahmed Sakib .)

or any information in:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/4_paraformaldehyde_for_fixing_cells-4_degrees_or_room_temp.

or: http://www.ultimatehoofcaresolutions.com/pdffiles/Understanding%20Formaldehyde.pdf

Then study Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), search Google (or any other data base for e.g. OSHA- and /or or EU-Regulations on TWAEL, PEL, STEL, MAK =Maximale Arbeitsplatz konzentration/Tag/h, TRK-Werte, or TA-Luft etc.....

e.g. (NOT EXHAUSTIVE)

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=218&tid=39

(quote:

" OSHA set a legal limit of 0.75 ppm formaldehyde in air averaged over an 8-hour work day.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) set standards for formaldehyde emissions in manufactured housing of less than 0.2 ppm for plywood and 0.3 ppm for particle board. The HUD standards are designed to provide an ambient level of 0.4 ppm or less in manufactured housing. " End of quote]

or: e.g.:

https://www.allum.de/stoffe-und-ausloeser/formaldehyd/grenzwerte-und-richtwerte

( u.a.: quote:

"Arbeitsplatzgrenzwert und Emissionsgrenzwert

Im Bereich des Arbeitsschutzes gilt bisher ein MAK-Wert (maximale Arbeitsplatzkonzentration) von 0,3 ppm (0,37 mg/m³). Niedrigere Arbeitsplatzgrenzwerte (AGW-Werte) sollen demnächst rechtlich verbindlich werden. In Produktionsanlagen ist eine Absenkung des Formaldehyd- Emissionsgrenzwertes der TA Luft (technische Anleitung zur Reinhaltung der Luft) geplant: von einem Grenzwert von 20 mg/m³ auf voraussichtlich nur noch 1 mg/m³. "[end of quote]

[ https://www.allum.de/stoffe-und-ausloeser/formaldehyd ]

For AUSTRIA:

cf.: FORMALDEHYD-VERORDNUNG:

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10010611

cf.:

https://www.gesundearbeit.at/cms/V02/V02_7.12.5.a/1508479599230/service/aktuelles/2017/formaldehyd-aenderung-der-grenzwerteverordnung?d=Touch

[ 25.10.2017 15:30

Bundesgesetzblatt BGBl II Nr 288/2017 am 24.10.2017 zur Änderung der Grenzwerteverordnung 2011 (pdf, 134 KB)]

find therein : SCOEL-value:

quote: .....

" Laut Empfehlung SCOEL/REC/125 des Wissenschaftlichen Ausschusses für Grenzwerte berufsbedingter Exposition (Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits, SCOEL) wurde auf EU-Ebene ein Grenzwert von 0.3 ppm als 8-Stunden Tagesmittelwert mit einem Kurzzeitwert von 0.6 ppm empfohlen. Diese Empfehlung ist als der aktuelle Stand der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse im Sinne des § 45 Abs. 1 ASchG zu verstehen und wurde daher in die GKV 2011 übernommen. " AND

........ "Zu bemerken ist, dass, wenn belastete Luft gezielt durch eine Absauganlage abgesaugt wird, diese Abluft, in der der Schadstoff hoch konzentriert vorhanden ist, nicht in vorher unbelastete Räume/Bereiche rückgeführt werden darf. Das ergibt sich aus § 16 Abs 4 AAV, wonach abgesaugte Gase, Dämpfe oder Schwebstoffe so abzuleiten, abzuscheiden oder zu sammeln sind, dass ArbeitnehmerInnen nicht gefährdet und die Luftverhältnisse im Betrieb nicht beeinträchtigt sind. Weiters gelten die Maßnahmen zur Gefahrenverhütung nach § 43 ASchG unabhängig davon, ob der Grenzwert eingehalten wird. Auch auf § 45 Abs 3 ASchG, wonach ArbeitgeberInnen anstreben müssen, dass der MAK-Wert möglichst weit unterschritten wird, muss in diesem Zusammenhang hingewiesen werden. " [end of quote]

From the last part of your question: "I refer to 4% or 40% (even higher) concentration approx formaldehyde solution. I am mainly insterested in any astudy relative to preloaded formaldehyde containers used in hospitals and clinics and delivered to anatomy pathology services. " I draw the conclusion that you are looking for general data on evaporation - measurement

(e.g. with DRAEGER measurement vials)

cf.: (in German, Austria):

https://www.bmnt.gv.at/dam/jcr:c5fef124-a06c-4a5d-b7d0-ae52b2536f67/Formaldehyd-Endfassung.pdf :

2 ALLGEMEINE MESSSTRATEGIE, ANALYTIK UND

UNTERSUCHUNGSBERICHT

2.1 MESSSTRATEGIE, PROBENAHME

Messungen der Konzentration an Formaldehyd in der Innenraumluft erfolgen im

Allgemeinen mittels Kurzzeitprobenahme (z. B. 30 Minuten), Probenahmen über

längere Zeiträume sind ebenfalls möglich. Die Messplanung und

Probenahmestrategie gestaltet sich laut ÖNORM ISO 16000-2.

If you Google: | formaldehyd grenzwert österreich | you'll find a lot of specific web-documents and sites which will provide information.

cf.: (in German, Germany):

https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/343/formaldehyd_exposition_und_offene_fragen.pdf

Admitting that I have a lot of specific MSDS's of Chemicals used in Histo-Pathology and Electron Microscopy (and some more as used in other Hospital Labs) in my PC-files..... I am not aware (o.k., I haven't searched in CHEMISTRY-Journals etc.) of a public serious general study where you /one can find such FA- evaporation values you are looking for in numerical table work... they might exist ...(ministry-ies / governmental departments, etc.) but they might be kept under lock and key or somehow 'sealed' and a bit of 'secret' to the public because of the shattering power of the stuff "formaldehyde" and the "essential health and safety requirements/legislation"....

Best wishes and regards from Salzburg to Vienna,

W.H.M.

Thank you very much for your answer, Dr. Wolfgang H. Muss

The Human Tissue Authority May be a useful port of call for you as they are involved with the regulation of formaldehyde levels in embalming and dissecting rooms I believe.

At the moment I do not know any study of that type, but I must emphasize that most of the containers in which formol is delivered inside the hospitals are hermetically closed, which makes its evaporation difficult.

To Oscar Eduardo Mendoza :

Dear Oscar, you're right and your statement gets it to the point:

perhaps it makes Alejandro Martinez-Conde think that it might be helpful to inform more in detail what the problem is he wants to work on.....

Is it: a problem regarding occupational safety law, maximum workplace concentration, transportof bottles / containers from point A to point C via Point B (using internal delivery service) and the assessment of doing so (with regard to eventual interfrences of the effective 'Health and Safety at Work Act'(I know this might be the British English version of the Austrian variant of "Gesetz zum Schutz der Gesundheit und zur Unfallverhütung am Arbeitsplatz" ( ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz (ASchG) - and - as non exhaustive examples - cf.: https://www.help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd/public/content/208/Seite.2080005.html#Schutzvorschriften ; https://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/inspektorat/Arbeitsstoffe/

https://www.arbeitsinspektion.gv.at/inspektorat/Uebergreifende_Themen/Pruefpflichten/

https://www.usp.gv.at/Portal.Node/usp/public/content/gesundheit_und_sicherheit/arbeitnehmerschutz/sicherheit_arbeitsplatz/Seite.2940101.html#SVP

("SVP" = 'saftey representative' or 'safety officer' or 'safety advisor').

As former head of an EM-Lab -

in part in a function as long standing 'safety officer', not only for the EM-Lab, but also for the Histology lab of the Hospitals 'Institution' (an Institute for Pathological Anatomy) I was employed - as well as member (delegated by the workers coucil/ employee organization) of the Hospital's Technical Committee -

I was involved and to some part responsible for planning and/or supvervision of correct working processes and safe (and proper = legal) disposal of quite a lot liters of used formaldehyde fixation solutions. Therefore I know about the issue but wonder what Alejandro's request (quote) ".... complete study concerning evaporation rate of formaldehyde solution? ..." (cf. question statement) means really.

Alejandro might help us or at least could inform us why he supposes to get any benefit from such study / studies..... (these properties of FA, as well as other - with regard to their hazardous properties - corresponding chemicals are subject to legislatively stated - or at least - recommended and issued ) maximum permissible values ("MAK-Werte")...Critical emissions - in case of possible disagreement (handling, processing, work flow, or for technical, or personal reasons) - then must be measured properly by suitable instruments...

If then (due to measurement records) there are found signs of e. g. violation of limits, or breach of regulations, or hazardous critical working situations, there immediately all the processes and operations have to be stopped, evaluated in depth (analysis of problems!) by "experts" and then practical answers should be found which meet legislation (this in force at least regarding Austrian legislation as well as Working Place EVALUATION and ÈU/EC- conform/concordant Workers Protection Act (as pointed out in my answer [001]). 'Transportation' issues (i.e. 'of dangerous goods') might be subjected - at least in part and in special cases - to the provision of the ADR / RID regulations - this perhaps holds true also for big Hospital or University complexes - if not regulated otherwise.

NB: ADR and RID stands for the European Agreements Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID) and by Road (ADR)

I already know all containers are sealed, but when workers have to transfer a human organ into the container it must be opened. My question arises about the evaporation rate in the task when such container is open. Maybe my prior question was not accurate at all!!.

It is not so easy to measure all exposure limits in all tasks in hospitals and laboratories. The minimum time for a measurement is for 15 min. If you wanna measure formaldehyde level in ambient for tasks of 30 seconds it may results in values close to 0, especially if you work in a room with good ventilation, air extraction, high humidity ... . Most of the evaporation rate models are made for puddles (not for bottles), where formaldehyde forms a very thin film over a surface (molecules are estimulated for evaporation) or under an air current flow.

I found this online software on the Internet:

http://www2.arnes.si/~gljsentvid10/evap.html

I am not sure how "accurate" it is but it seems great!

Regards

Dear Alejandro Martinez-Conde - thank you for your kind explanation of the situation. We (at least some of us) know that problem (especially in Hospitals: surgery&Surgical Pathology, Clinical Pathology in Histology Labs.

Yes - you are right - there always will be emission of vapour to the room and persons when a container or bottle is opened to place an organ or tissue specimens into the/a container which is transferred to a pathology lab. That evaporation might depend from temperature (storage prior to opening) but also - perhaps this one not to underestimate - on air (atmospheric) pressure (I mean that there could happen a build up of pressure differences depending on the actual moment of filling and tight closing - higher temp in room and different = lower air pressure when opening).

Factors which are of paramount importance in relation to evaporation are:

• temperature (increasing evaporation on rising temp)
• surface area (the larger the higher)
• density of solution in question (the higher - the lower evap.), - and - if applicable -
• velocity of wind (or - as in your case - air draught by active in-house ventilation or passive vent due to architecture of the building and its corridors & rooms).

So I appreciate your mentioning and pointing to the

Evaporation Calculator

( by Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revised in 2003),

wherein all the parameters as mentioned above can be found.

Interesting to find the following additional information - when entering Formaldehyde in the field "Chemical":

(QUOTE:)

"Formaldehyde solution is formed commercially by diluting formaldehyde gas in aqueous solution--typically to about 37%, with 10-15% methanol to help prevent polymerization. Evaporating formaldehyde solution releases formaldehyde gas. TEMP./PRESS. LIMITS: The calculator estimates evaporation rates from formaldehyde solutions of roughly 1 to 40 percent, at temperatures from roughly 5 to 70 deg. C. CAVEATS: Formaldehyde solution is very heat-sensitive, and is a moderately strong reducing agent. When exposed to air, it slowly oxidizes to formic acid, which is less volatile. At low temperatures, formaldehyde converts to trioxymethylene, which precipitates out of solution; this also reduces the volatility of the solution. At higher temperatures, more polymeric paraformaldehyde is formed." (END of QUOTE).

Last but not least:

IMHO, a particular cirumstance regarding formaldehyde (gas) properties (which not often is mentioned appropriately) is the fact that it is heavier than air....(cf. - sorry, only in GERMAN - :)

http://www.noxen.de/publik/12/chem.html

which means that a particular amount - if not most part - of the gas under calm/windless situations will be falling downwards....

So: take care of or for the dogs lurking around (or even underdogs) (:-)) ....

Best wishes and regards and may your study become succesful.

Dear Wolfgang H. Muss, many thanks for your answer and best regards

Dear Alejandro Martinez-Conde, you're welcome.

Best regards and compliments and all the best for your project. W.H.M.