Thousands of NHS staff exposed to cancer-causing chemicals at work, shocking study finds

Thousands of NHS staff are being exposed to harmful levels of formaldehyde – a cancer-causing chemical that experts have likened to asbestos.

Analysis of formaldehyde airborne monitoring results revealed employees in pathology departments across the UK are exposed to toxic levels of the chemical, with seven in 10 NHS pathology departments exceeding eight-hour European Union (EU) workplace limits.

The findings, by authors from the University of Liverpool and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, come after several former NHS and laboratory workers spoke to The Independent as part of a probe into concerns that staff are being exposed to unacceptably high levels of formaldehyde.

One ex-NHS worker said he had sore eyes and a runny nose before he started to experience vomiting and nosebleeds from the exposure. Eventually, after three years, he had developed such severe problems with his breathing that he was unable to work.

The chemical, which can be used in hospitals to preserve tissue samples, but can also be used to produce resins and adhesives, to preserve cosmetics, and as a disinfectant and fumigant, has been classified as cancer-causing in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

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Source: The Independent, 10 June 2026