[Histonet] out dated reagents

[Podawiltz, Thomas]

Because I work in small lab, we currently buy everything pre made. Prior to that all I used to do was write my received day on by dry chemicals, open date and either write stable  or no expiration date on the label. To date I have not had an issue with it for either CAP or CLIA.

Tom Podawiltz, HT (ASCP)
Histology Section Head/Laboratory Safety Officer
LRGHealthcare
603-524-3211 ext: 3220
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From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Rene J Buesa [rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 3:54 PM
To: Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu; anita dudley
Subject: Re: [Histonet] out dated reagents

Anita:
Dry chemicals, especially INORGANIC are natural products that exist in nature for millions of years and we just extract them. It is unwarranted to have an expiration date on them.
Another thing is the condition of being anhydrous, and the periodic acid that you mention is a good example of a chemical that can absorb water and your will need to correct for  its hydrated condition when weighing it to prepare a solution.
Regarding powdered stains I have used until recently very good Merck aniline powders manufactured in Darmstad before the "Great War" and I am referring to WWI, that one ending in 1918 and they worked beautifully.
Since this facts sometimes are sometimes unknown to some talented CAP inspectors, I use to add a label to each of those bottles with dry inorganic chemicals, stating "No expiration date as per manufacturer", with my signature. It always worked fine.
René J.

--- On Mon, 10/6/08, anita dudley <azdudley <@t> hotmail.com> wrote:

From: anita dudley <azdudley <@t> hotmail.com>
Subject: [Histonet] out dated reagents
To: "Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Date: Monday, October 6, 2008, 12:19 PM

hello all, we were inspected the beginning of june by cap and one of our
deficiency was anp.21382. it had to do with outdated reagents. my director
want all of my dry chemicals gone!!!! I have gone through them and just have
what I need for the special stains that we do in house. does anyone know do
they put expiration dates on dry chems. we have things like light green,
biebrich scarlet, periodic acid. I really hate to get rid of all of this but he
thinks I should.

what are others doing about this? I can see after you have made up things to
not keep it long but dry I know many yrs ago the biological stain commission
thought it would be meaningless and arbitrary to put expiration dates on stains.
it would me more important to maintain a record of the use of the powdered
stain. which is what we do when we do the stain with our controls.

anyway just wondering if there were any thoughts out there about this.

anita dudley
providence hosp
mobile alabama
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