[Histonet] Formic acid decal

[mtitford <@t> aol.com]

Trisha in Seattle askes about formic acid decal.
I trained in Great Britain and got used to using Gooding and Stewarts fluid which is formic acid based,  and so I use it here in the colonies (!). Their formula is:
Formic acid... 5 - 25 ml
Formaldehyde (40%)... 5 ml
Distilled water.. up to 100 ml.
 
We have used this a long time. It works well and decals fast. We use the 25ml concentration. Of course if you leave the tissues in too long they look pretty tatty which I guess applies to all decalcifing fliuds except EDTA.
 
Mike Titford
USA Pathology
Mobile AL USA