Finger and Nail Lesion, Formaldehyde Exposure, and Vegetable for Sale

Formaldehyde or formalin is a toxic substance that can induce cancer if one chronically exposed to it. The formaldehyde contamination becomes an interesting health problem.[1] In developing countries, where there is poor legal control, the contamination of formaldehyde in food is a common problem, and this is a big public health hazard to the local people.[2] Here, the authors report an interesting case of a patient presenting with abnormal finger and nail lesion. This patient noted that she got the problem for many months. She gave the history that she had practiced as a worker in vegetable preparation for wholesale to markets for 1 year and had to use her hands for dipping of the vegetables in the formaldehyde solution every day before the vegetables are delivered to the markets. She noted that the lesion occurred 1 month after she started her work. The skin lesion is shown in Figure 1. The lesion was provoked when she performed daily work, dipping the vegetable into formaldehyde, and if she sipped for work, the lesion seemed improved. In this case, the patient performed repetitive self‑test provocation by testing contact at other parts of her body to formaldehyde and observed the relationship between formaldehyde and dermatological problem.