Major Queensland hospital to close pathology labs amid potential formaldehyde exposure investigation

About 400 staff affected by closure at both Mater’s Brisbane and Springfield hospitals, with financial sustainability of pathology business a factor

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

In-house pathology services at one of Queensland’s biggest hospitals will permanently close amid an investigation into potential formaldehyde exposure and continual financial strain.

The closure, which affects 400 staff across Mater’s Brisbane and Springfield hospitals, includes the lab which handles foetus and newborn tissue and cell testing for unexpected deaths.

This Brisbane facility was closed with short notice on 24 September due safety concerns over potential formalin exposure.

Formalin is a liquid comprising water and formaldehyde and is considered a hazardous chemical, making it subject to strict workplace safety protocols. Exposure can cause eye, nose and respiratory irritation, trigger allergies, and is associated with increased risk of some cancers.

Mandatory ventilation standards and safe specimen handling protocols are used to manage exposure among laboratory staff.

Anatomical pathology laboratory staff at the Mater Brisbane were also required to wear protective respiratory equipment as a precaution. Wearing respiratory gear is not standard protocol for laboratories except in the cases of a formalin spill, or where there is concern levels might be above exposure standards.

Staff also wore personal exposure monitoring devices and, after 17 samples were taken on 21 September, an employee returned a result above workplace exposure standards, prompting the lab to be closed on 24 September with staff not told when it might reopen.

A Mater spokesperson said an investigation is ongoing into the abnormal result.

On 2 November, after questions from Guardian Australia about the closure, a Mater spokesperson said all pathology services at Mater’s Brisbane and Springfield hospitals will be outsourced through specialist providers, including Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology and Pathology Queensland.

This includes not only the anatomical pathology laboratory, but also all other pathology services at both hospitals, the spokesperson said.

An internal email sent to staff across the pathology departments on Tuesday, seen by Guardian Australia, said: “At the end of last month, we identified infrastructure and safety concerns within our anatomical pathology service and made the immediate decision to suspend that service.

“It has become clear there is no quick or simple solution.”

The spokesperson said that, while a number of controls were introduced to mitigate safety risks, significant long-term infrastructure changes and investment would be required to reopen the lab.

This work “cannot be considered in isolation from the broader sustainability of Mater’s pathology business”, the spokesperson said, adding that it was the overall review of all challenges facing pathology services that prompted the permanent closure and outsourcing.