[Histonet] Disposal Practice for Blades and Slides

[Connie McManus]

I absolutely agree that the used blade compartment of the blade
cartridge is unacceptable for disposing the used blades.  I stopped
using that little compartment when a bunch of them fell into my lap.  I
put all used blades in a plastic specimen tub.  When the tub is full, I
place the lid on the tub, put the tub in a cardboard box, seal it up and
personally carry it out to the dumpster.  The only exception is when we
have blades that have cut Scrapie or CWD (prion diseases in animals). I
keep those blades separate and have them incinerated.

Connie McManus
Utah Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory
Utah State University
Logan, UT
Phone:  435/797-1891
fax: 435/797-2805


-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gayle
Callis
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 10:36 AM
To: Mary Reeves; Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Disposal Practice for Blades and Slides

For blades, razor blades, scalpel blades and hypodermic needles - we
have
bioharzard sharp boxes sitting in all biohazard/non biohazard work
areas.
The boxes are tidy and perfect ALL sharps to guarantee nothing is
dropped
INTO a garbage can to endanger maintenance or lab personnel. You can buy
them in bigger sizes - 

Disposable microtome blades are NOT allowed to be returned to bottom of
blade boxes (vendor should eliminate this little slot!).  This is a
potential source of contamination the next time someone dispenses a
blade,
particularly with cryostat use for unfixed, fresh tissue.   

Broken glassware, paraffin slides (old stained or unstained slides),
pasteur pipettes go into a glass disposal box. 

Frozen sections from unfixed fresh tissue are immersed into either NBF
or
bleach, then disposed of in broken glass box.  We try to take care of
POTENTIAL biohazards in fresh fresh tissue frozen sections this way.  If
we
have to do it, these are autoclaved before glass disposal.       


Gayle Callis
MT,HT,HTL(ASCP)
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology 
Montana State University - Bozeman
PO Box 173610
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-6367 (lab with voice mail)
406 994-4303 (FAX)



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